Click on the image to download this week’s Weekly English Practice from English Coaching Projects.

Look at this vocabulary before you read and listen to the article:

to set up: to establish, found, configure

coach: a person who trains and guides others

partner: Colleague, collaborator in a common project. 

to bring up: to be cared for, looked after and educated as a child 

founding members: the partners who started the project of business

meaningful: have meaning or importance

spoonful:  the amount a spoon can hold

to enhance: intensify, increase, improve

approach: the way you do something

to tackle: to try to resolve a problem

queries: a question, especially about doubts and information

Listen to the audio and read the text (refresh the page if it’s not visible).

• There are seven partners in the ECP Coop. Five of us are English coaches.
• Robert Kieron Hextall is from Wolverhampton in the English Midlands.
• John Andrew Hird is from Newcastle in the North East of England.
• Alison ‘Ali’ Keable was brought up in London as was Darren ‘Kez’ Kurien.
• Darren Lynch is from the Irish Republic.
• We are all long-term residents of Gasteiz.

Why a Cooperative?

• Almost four years ago John, Rob and Kez were amongst the original founding members of ECP.
• We formed a Coop because we believe in our own professional development.
• We also wanted to build a meaningful and productive relationship with you our clients.
• We aspire to create a team of creative and fun English coaches.
• We believe that by working together we can work better.
• We aim to create a sustainable future for ourselves and our families.

Why Coaching?

At ECP we see learning a language as a journey. In essence  all language learners need to ‘Learn to Learn.’ The language teacher is not a teacher in the traditional sense in that they are the font of all knowledge handing out spoonfuls of grammar and knowledge.

For that reason we call ourselves coaches as we aspire to be guides on your language learning journey.

An important part of our methodology has its roots in Dogme ELT, a movement which encourages learning through spontaneous conversation. The conversational topics are determined by students and, as such, are of interest to them. The emergent language is dealt with in class, building on vocabulary and structures that are relevant to the conversation.

In addition to this, we use the internet and tablets in class to enhance the experience by offering you unlimited material to expand on your own ideas and topics. Our Instant Response Learning (IRL) approach uses the internet to deal with whatever learning opportunities may arise, and it allows both you and your coach to tackle queries on the spot.

Remember – the coach guides, motivates and assists, but ultimately you must take responsibility for your progress. Together we can achieve your goals (and have some fun!).

Welcome to English Coaching Projects – Enjoy your trip!

Chatting about learning English

• How did you get to your present level of English?
• Talk about your good and bad experiences of learning languages.
• The easiest thing about English is….
• The most difficult thing about English is…
• Talk about someone who is good about learning languages.
• What do you expect from your ECP course?
• A good learner is……
• A good coach is……

More information at the ECP Website:

http://www.ecp.coop/englishcoachingprojects/Welcome.html