As Schools and Nurseries in Nottingham begin their phased return to re-opening on 1 June, it is highly unlikely crucial extracurricular learning, will be restored at this moment in time.
Extracurricular programmes form an important part of school life increasing opportunities for learning and development which can help to boost and improve children’s academic performance. These lunchtime and after school clubs also, and some say more importantly, enhanced a child’s well-being, increase their self-confidence, self-esteem, and self-belief.
For one language teacher from Nottingham her virtual classroom has been essential for children who have been able to join on their devices and continue with their bilingual studies.
Nicola Warren teaches extracurricular French & Spanish across Nottingham to children and adults aged 2-60. She has been working flat out over the last two months to ensure pupils aren’t left behind when it comes to their language learning. Nicola runs The Language Tree and has opened a “virtual classroom” to support her pupils and ensure they receive essential continued learning.
Nicola says, “A majority of primary schools struggle with teaching languages as it remains a marginal subject and challenging to deliver alongside core subjects. Plus, other obstacles such as lack of specialist teachers, time and budget constraints also hinder consistent teaching therefore my French and Spanish classes are essential for supporting both the school and pupils with their learning. It is still such an unsettling time as we come to terms with the impact Covid-19 has had on all our lives. It’s been tough for all my pupils as they’ve had to endure their schooling being turned upside down, exams cancelled and isolation away from their friends. In a positive move and wanting to help schools, parents and pupils keep a sense of normality, I’ve taken the plunge into technology and set up a virtual classroom. The feedback from pupils, who jumped on board enthusiastically, has been fantastic, she added.
Nicola previously worked as a secondary school teacher but always dreamed of setting up her own language school. Her passion for languages was first ignited at secondary school where she studied both French and German, she loved how different languages all sounded so very different. She continued with her language learning at A’Level and she successfully achieved A-Levels in French, German, Spanish and Economics. She opted not to go to university at 18, but instead studied later on in life and learnt Portuguese and for her degree in her 40’s graduated in French and Spanish. Nicola now runs her highly successful language school “The Language Tree” and has done so for the last 5 years.
“With my younger students we enjoy a group session of 30 minutes following the award winning La Jolie Ronde Programme where the focus is based around fun French or Spanish learning through songs, stories, dancing and role plays. These group sessions are a great way for this age group to catch up with friends plus other family members can join in. My GCSE and University students tend to prefer a different approach as the aim is more on speaking, listening, reading and writing skills so I offer one to one online classes here. My Adult Learners are also extremely important so again I offer one to one classes mainly because many are at varying levels of competency and with a wide range of reasons for learning, many of whom ‘wishing they had continued with languages when they were younger’. Feedback for all areas of my online teaching has been amazing, many who have been struggling with daily routine say my online teaching has given them a great structure to their week”, she added.
For more information about Nicola’s Online classes contact:
Tel: 07837 676287
Email: [email protected]
