OVERALL AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF IBEX COURSES

In order to ensure the success of the courses we offer and the satisfaction of our students, we aim to fulfill the following objectives which are actually realisable within the two week period that they spend with us.

IMPROVE FLUENCY AND COMMUNICATION SKILLS

The first objective of the courses is to enable the students to improve their spoken production and listening skills. All the teachers are of native speaker competence and therefore every opportunity must be taken to correct pronunciation and intonation as well as word and sentence stress. In other words the phonological aspect of the teaching input is of paramount importance, as this is an area that can certainly be improved through the students hearing native speakers both inside and outside the classroom. Teachers will be encouraged to correct spoken production mistakes as they occur, albeit by correctly repeating whatever was said, and if necessary working on the phonological problem with the whole class. Improving fluency can be achieved through discussions, observations, pair work and language linked activities such as drama, role play and song. Enabling them to communicate within the community of the college and during their excursions will increase their confidence and interest in the English language.

CULTURAL AND SPORTING EXPERIENCE

The second, but possibly more important of these objectives for the students, is to provide a fulfilling cultural sporting experience for them. The integration of this programme with the classroom teaching course is essential. All outings and visits will also be prepared in the classroom, with teachers and all those involved making sure that they are fully cognisant with the destination and that the students are given historical and background information about it and the places they will see. All students will also be given a task to undertake on the actual visit which will involve using their new found confidence in asking and receiving information from native speakers at the destination. Discussion and opinion regarding their experiences will also engage all class members to continue the communicative thread. In this way the visits will ensure that the students have contact with native speakers and are able to produce and understand the English language in situ. All the question forms and vocabulary they need should have been taught in the classroom prior to the visit.

CONSOLIDATE AND DEVELOP KNOWLEDGE OF GRAMMAR AND VOCABULARY

The third area which can be improved during the two week stay is the structural and functional knowledge of the students. That they will learn a large amount of new structures and functions is doubtful, however, those they have already learned in their schools in their home country should be consolidated, corrected and practised, so that they are able to use what they know correctly and with more confidence. Allied to this is the fact that they will of necessity learn quite an extensive amount of new vocabulary, if only because of the activities and coaching in which they will participate. Thus they will expand their vocabularies considerably. In conclusion we aim to provide an experience of being in England which gives the students an opportunity to improve their fluency, communication skills and confident use of the language, their pronunciation, stress and intonation, and consolidate their grammatical knowledge as well as expanding their vocabularies.