Motivating students in Romania
"Onisifor Ghibu" High School, Cluj - Napoca, Romania
Loreta Ungureanu and Dana Contras - English Teachers
Tell us about "Onisifor Ghibu" High School and your students
Loreta: I teach at "Onisifor Ghibu" High School and my students are in the 6th grade. I have been their teacher ever since they were in the 2nd grade, so we know each other quite well. They are smart, ambitious, eager to learn and very aware that English is part of their future.
Dana: The school is one of the best educational institutions in Cluj - Napoca. English is one of the most important subjects, and there are 2 teachers for each class. I personally have classes from primary level to high school.
What challenges in your course influenced you to look for a new solution?
Loreta: What I was looking for, when I decided to start using Motivate!, was a coursebook that would encourage my students to develop their speaking abilities as well. Motivate! is exactly that: a course that balances the use of the four skills and brings something more - topics that appeal to the students because they are very close to their range of interests.
What did you find most attractive about Motivate!?
Dana: The most attractive thing about teaching using Motivate! was the fact that this course uses ground-breaking assessment for learning techniques. It really does help me pinpoint where students need help. It's a great way to get students more involved in the learning process in order to become more effective learners.
How does Motivate! complement the way you teach?
Loreta: I am not at all in favour of a teacher-centered teaching method, which is why Motivate! really appeals to me. Being an interactive course, it opens endless communication channels between the teacher and the student, making the learning process more effective.
Dana: The most important aspect is that it takes the pain out of preparing for my class, as it gives all the materials I need to run each lesson.
What benefits have you and your students experienced from using Motivate! in your classes?
Dana: The benefits I experienced have to do with capturing the attention of all my students. Students have greatly improved all of their skills in English due to the variety of themes in each module and the communicative language approach. Secondly, the coursebook gives me the opportunity to adapt tests for special requirement students I have in my class. Students have also benefited from the multitude of exercises in the workbook, reinforcing and improving their vocabulary and grammar.
Loreta: Because of the up-to-date topics, my students were eager to actually get involved in pair-work, group-work and in special projects, thus really enhancing their learning skills.
Would you recommend Motivate!?
Dana: I would whole-heartedly recommend Motivate!! I definitely believe that Motivate! prepares our students to be able to function and be successful in our contemporary world, as it is fully focused around students' needs regarding language learning.
Loreta: Yes, I would definitely recommend it.