Elac Courses

The Elac Approach

Elac run courses in a number of locations around the UK, and in each venue there is a programme adapted for students at that centre.

However, you will also find that there are many things that don’t change wherever you choose to study with us.  Our approach is always the same: at Elac we firmly believe that our students will learn English best by following a carefully planned course of study that involves them in a varied programme which they will find both stimulating and enjoyable.  This balanced approach has been the cornerstone of our successful courses for many years.
Elac Courses are designed to give young people from all over the world every opportunity to study and practise English.
Our students learn to communicate in English while at the same time developing a sense of co-operation and responsibility towards their friends.  We believe that in this way we can make a contribution to international understanding and harmony as our students make new friends and begin to learn about each other’s countries and cultures.

The word “opportunity” figures prominently in the Elac vocabulary.

We make it very clear to all our students that we will provide them with a series of wonderful opportunities while they are on our courses.  Opportunities to develop and improve their English, opportunities to make new friends, opportunities to learn a lot about Britain, and very importantly, opportunities to have a lot of fun.  However, we also make it clear that they must then take those opportunities in order to get the most from their courses; we cannot do this for them.  We hope that this will teach them to be more responsible for themselves.  We can provide the environment, but our students have to play their part in making it most effective.  Clearly the most important effort that our students have to make is to SPEAK ENGLISH AT EVERY OPPORTUNITY!  We all try hard to make sure they do.
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We believe that attitudes to language learning play a significant role in the success or otherwise of the process.  We understand, therefore, that we have an important job to do in reinforcing our students’ positive feelings towards English.  We aim to provide an experience that will benefit the student in the short term, but will also reinforce their longer-term commitment to language learning.

Learning: acquisition, consolidation, activation

Our aim is to provide an environment where students encounter new language, consolidate and practise language not yet a secure part of their language repertoire, and also activate and reinforce the use of familiar language. The balance of priorities between these three modes is one that will vary from class to class, but we believe our main contribution is in the activation of language previously taught and learnt at home: the ability to use this language is where we can have a significant input.  More specifically, the ability to use language orally is where we can play the most valuable role in the students’ language learning, and for this reason much of our skills development work will focus on or contain practice in speaking.
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The Elac Social Programme 

The Activity Team

Everyone at Elac gets involved with the recreational side of our courses – even the Centre Managers!  It is a great way to get to know the students and to find out how they’re feeling.  However, the majority of the organisation falls on our dedicated team of Activity Leaders, led by the Activity Manager.  Their job is to organise, to supervise, to engage and to inspire.  They are selected for the skills they bring, and above all for their enthusiastic approach.  The activity programme is therefore a great way to continue practising language skills outside the classroom.

It’s Your Course!
The Activity Team organise a comprehensive programme of sports, art, drama, games and events.  If it’s not in our programme, then let us know and – within reason! – we'll try to include it.  We like to reinforce to students the fact that this is their course … we just organise it.

Take Part
Students on our courses are expected and encouraged to participate as much as they can; they may not want to take part in everything we organise, but there will certainly be something for everyone.  Our experience has taught us that if we get the activities right, and encourage the students to try them out, they enjoy it much more than they expect, and this has a positive reinforcing effect.

Club International
We also recognise that teenagers sometimes want space and time to be themselves rather than joining in organised activity, and for this reason we run Club International: a supervised but relaxed meeting place with music and games where students from different countries can meet and get to know each other informally.

Daily meetings
Good communication about what’s happening (especially where there are changes to the programme) is essential.  One of the ways in which we make sure that all students are kept informed is through our daily meetings.  These brief gatherings which start off the activity sessions are a great way to check that everyone’s ready, that students know what they can do, and to motivate them to take part.

Elac Evenings
The evenings are an opportunity to put together some large events that involve the majority of the students in fun and games; everything from discos, and quizzes, to Talent Shows and Drama evenings.  Click here for a taste of what’s to come.

Excursions
Every Elac course includes visits to nearby towns and cities of great interest (see under Course Centres).  Our excursions are opportunities for students to broaden their experience of England and learn more about English history and culture.  There are frequently links between the visits and language learning activities in the classroom.  Excursions also allow for some free time in the afternoon for students to choose what they’d like to do, whether it be visiting an attraction, browsing in the shops for souvenirs, or relaxing.
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Tailor-made Courses

We believe that our courses are designed in a way to achieve a good balance between effective learning and fun and enjoyment.  However, sometimes groups of students are looking for something a little different, perhaps a more intensive language programme, or a wider range of visits.  Elac offers great flexibility when it comes to meeting the requirements of partners, and where possible we can vary our standard course, or even design a specific programme to run alongside our standard programme.
Outside the summer we run year-round tailor-made programmes at our Study Centre in the heart of Bath as well as integration courses with local schools in Eastbourne and Bath.
Please click here to contact us for more details.