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 PARENTS STUDENTS WHAT YOU SAY ... ASSESS A SCHOOL HOW WE TEACH SOFTWARE? CLASSES SOCIAL SKILLS PERSONAL SUPPORT HOMEWORK
TIMETABLE EXAMS TEACHERS HOME EDUCATION USEFUL LINKS DOWNLOADS CONTACT US | Small LIVE class tutor groups 5 - 15 students. Exam preparation up to 17yrs First College students live in the UK, in Europe or Asia. As in all our lessons we strongly encourage discussion, and personal opinion. The skills and courtesies of sharing ideas, especially where there is disagreement, are essential parts of a young person's education.  FIRST CLASS Young students or students who have had problems are placed in the FIRST CLASS, or basic level. There is no separate Literature class here. Instead they study the exciting, extremely popular Storytelling course which trains logical thinking in a way they much enjoy.For those who do like reading and poetry it comes into the general English lessons with Shan. We study adventurous short stories, classic poems about animals or odd events, internet writing, and of course some humour! But while it's fun, it is also firmly training the student to pay close attention to what they read, not just to skim and rush onwards. HOMEWORK for ENGLISH is 45 mins a week. SENIORS Students with good study skills move up to the intermediate SENIORS level - always an exciting change.Here they have two English teachers Shan and Kelly. Both are familiar from the previous class. Shan's course includes an unusual and challenging range of literature. Students tackle a tiny bit of the earliest writer in English, Chaucer, and a short excerpt of Shakespeare. Then there is a famous futuristic story by Forster 1900 which actually described the internet. The renowned Jack London with his understanding of the Wild always stimulates strong feelings. Huxley's "Brave New World" 1931 warns of the society we are now beginning to see happen. Then there are a collection of short very modern pieces, odd, moving, sensitive, to get students thinking and developing their description skills. There is of course the key areas of "net lit," fanfiction, gaming, blogs etc. Kelly's course is geared to styles of writing. She examines advertising as the powerful art of persuasion to see how it gets its effects on us. This is an essential modern skill, to grasp how language is used to manipulate people. The course looks at biography, autobiography and journal writing which particularly suits the introspection of this age group. Students are offered opportunities with both teachers to develop their own imaginative writing. However for those who are not comfortable with this there are usually other options for written work. SCHOLARS The exam program, "Scholars" ~ prepares for the prestigious IGCSE exams. These are better quality exams than ordinary GCSEs, and universally recognised.The exam program is a minimum of 5 terms of study (there are 3 school terms a year). There are two exam sessions for Literature. Paper 1. PLAY: "The Importance of Being Ernest" Oscar Wilde. NOVEL: "The English Teacher" Narayan. Both demand sustained understanding of a longer piece of reading, and a grasp of complex events and human character. Style of writing is an important issue too. Paper 2. POETRY: A collection of 12 poems of widely varying kinds. All must be prepared for the exam. Students must have strong abilities to describe exactly what they read, but also to look further into metaphorical, psychological and linguistic structures. Literature is not a vague subject where waffle can mask lack of grasping the material. The only book required to buy is "The English Teacher" Narayan. The other material is supplied. HOMEWORK 1.5 hours weekly. Involves short, formal questions and essay work. Descriptions of all Exam Subjects.
Why is it called "First College" when it's a high school or secondary school? We train a strongly collegiate style of studying so that the student learns to take responsibility for their own work and deadlines. It means the transfer to later qualifications, University, or (self) employment is much easier as a result. First College UK is very much a family business. We created it to educate our own son, who is now a junior online teacher in the school! (under strict supervision) CRB checks (Standard Level) on all teachers; DP registration (Notification reference: jvl530); Please do ask for any of this to be explained. |
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