Jack G
Hi, I'm Jack. I work at the British Council in the Higher Education team and have worked as a teacher of English in Spain.
Location London
Activity
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Hoping that you can take it forward Andres
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This is a very good point
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Well said Ivan - classmates and friends should help you improve everyday and the more you do it the better you'll be.
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Great plan @MariaJoséCorreaCardona - check out what course you can do through the Study UK website - https://study-uk.britishcouncil.org/find-university#/ Good luck!
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Jack G replied to Md Miraj Kobad Chowdhury
This seems like a good plan, this course is here to guide and teach you. There will be other forms of support and guidance at your institution.
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Jack G replied to Adam NDIFOR
We hope they do @AdamNDIFOR
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That's an interesting view and good point! Of course everyone is different - some people like to get it all done at once whereas some people like to plan it out and take an assignment.
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Jack G replied to Taoqin Cui
It's always good to learn from mistakes!
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Agree, it's a great place to work and research
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Hi @sorakim - for sure it can be daunting at first. If you look through the previous chapter (2) there is a lot of resources on presenting and speaking class situations. Hope it's helpful
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Jack G replied to Santiago Parra
I'm sure your professor or course leader wouldn't mind if you asked them to suggest extra sources to read - they are the experts. Otherwise the outside of the recommended / essential reading it does foster your independence and allows you to read related texts to expand your knowledge.
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That's a really good point @MaríaGraciaAbregúRosales - universities will have services in place to support you throughout your studies.
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Jack G replied to Taoqin Cui
Keeping a log is always a good idea!
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Jack G replied to Tariq Bin Sarwar
Yes of course it is demanding and sometimes an easy option to believe the writer - however doing it more and more, I'm sure you'll improve and form your own opinion!!
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Thanks! That's useful to know for other Cardiff University students
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Jack G replied to Tariq Bin Sarwar
Reflecting and practising are great ways to form opinions. Perhaps it's not obvious straight away but if you read texts a few times, it'll become clearer
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Jack G replied to Cristina Gamba
Thanks, I'll check the video out
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Good idea to join different clubs @DanielBurrell
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A good attitude to have! See how it goes
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Your own unique charm, don't forget it. @NanJiang - couldn't agree anymore, great attitude to have.
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Yes, you've corrected your own mistake - 'meet' new and different people and 'make' new and different friends. Great work for spotting it.
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It's always good to open a dialogue and discuss things
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Good advice @FeiyuNi
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You're welcome @LauraDanielaArizaLópez we're glad you're enjoying the course
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Thanks @AnneVicary(educator) this would be great to see the different apps
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Jack G replied to Monique Williams
These are all really good points. Teachers would support that learning from your mistakes is an important way to learn, as you say @MoniqueWilliams they will be looking for good content and evidenced based responses.
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Jack G replied to Brigitte Ramos
@JunhaoWang Exactly! Read my post above to Cristina and Meenu. It's fun to watch a TV series and copy what you hear.
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Jack G replied to Cristina Gamba
Hi both - I understand the English accent is something very sort after. Don't forget that 1.5 billion people in the world speak English - and they have all different types of accents and within the UK there are many accents.
As you say @CristinaGamba - I would suggest concentrating on learning vocabulary and then in your spare time listen to people in the...
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Jack G replied to Fangya Chen
You both make good points and anyone who has learnt another language before will have been in this situation. As @JunhaoWang says - practise more and yes it can be embarrassing but we all learn from our mistakes!
Being nervous going into a seminar is common, read up and know the topic well and maybe practise talking about the topics in the mirror or with...
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Jack G replied to Mausumi Aich Sarkar
Hi @MausumiAichSarkar - I've said in previous comments that practising what you'd like to say is one way to tackle your fears. Also talking with others in your seminar before the class so you're more comfortable knowing what you want to say.
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Jack G replied to Prince Ainuson
Hi @PrinceAinuson little by little as the saying goes! Everyone will have a different way of approaching speaking in a group and your idea looks great. You'll build confidence if you're comfortable in the situation.
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Jack G replied to Juanita Orozco Tovar
@JuanitaOrozcoTovar learning a new language, can be hard but is also fun!
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Jack G replied to Monica Obiabo
Great advice @MonicaObiabo reading papers and watching films are a great way to learn. Set a realistic limit each day.
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I agree Maria Gracia - push yourself out of your comfort zone to make friends - I'm sure you'll never look back!
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You may be nervous at first but have you thought about joining a sports team? Check with your student union (SU), I remember in the first few weeks going to a 'sports sign up' event where you meet teams and sign up to join them - if you can't make this I'm sure the SU will put you in touch with the right people. Play a sport you've enjoyed before or try a new...
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I agree! Sport and extra curricular activities are a great way to relax from work and studies and meet new people
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Jack G replied to Jingya Sun
@SiakaDiallo its worth a try
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Jack G replied to Fabio Faversani
@FabioFaversani most people have had to do this for the first time and it can be scary. Practise will make perfect :)
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Jack G replied to [Learner left FutureLearn]
@JackZhang in my experience the tutor would have titles/themes for each of the seminars related to lectures and the course syllabus. There may be previous reading and then you could be set a discussion by the tutor/teacher or group work. The tutor would be there to support, offer their expertise and guide the conversations. I hope that helps
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Jack G replied to Afifah Afra
Great to hear @AfifahAfra
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Thank you for posting @MahEma - good tips on fighting back about allergies. It's great you broke it down into sections, you'd clearly planned and practised it very well!
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Jack G replied to Emmanuel Munyabarame
Hi @EmmanuelMunyabarame a good tip to watch films and listening to music will really help and my favourite is reading in other languages to learn new words.
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Jack G replied to Tuangchut Narongintara
Hi @TuangchutNarongintara its a fair point that students may be embarrassed to speak - a good way to improve is speaking with other students, most people who are speaking English as a second language would have been in a similar situation before, so hopefully will be understanding.
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Jack G replied to Gustavo Darias Negrín
Thanks Gustavo! A very topical theme - you had clearly planned and practised the recording and it sounded very good.
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Jack G replied to Sarkodie Silas Ameyaw
Great! That's progress right there!
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Jack G replied to Jingya Sun
Absolutely @JingyaSun - if you have a presentation, you can practise beforehand. You could try recording or filming yourself and listen back.
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Great point @TaoqinCui - if you find a topic that you're interested in it makes learning a lot easier and more enjoyable.
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Jack G replied to Fabio Faversani
Hi Fabio. As a lot of people said in step 2.1 - practise makes perfect. The more you try to express yourself out loud in English the better you'll become. In terms of feeling embarrassed - I would say that most students who are studying in English, in their second language, are in a similar position to you and most students who only speak English are in awe...
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Jack G replied to Adam NDIFOR
Great tips Adam. On the BBC Iplayer and other TV apps there is the subtitle option, which as you say will help with the pronunciation. Carrying a small notebook around and writing down things you hear/read is a good way to learn too.
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Jack G replied to Gerardo Mendoza
We look forward to welcoming you back @GerardoMendoza
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A sandwich year or placement, is the time you spend out of the lecture/seminar room and in the industry area related to your course.
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Hi @LauraPaladinezPrada. @AinoH is right - and a fantastic analogy too! :) Sandwiches of the eaten variety are popular for lunch in the UK. A sandwich year or placement, where university is concerned, is the time you spend out of the lecture/seminar room and in the industry area related to your course.
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Jack G replied to Ho Ya Fang
Hi @HoYaFang why not get to know people and write to them in their comments?
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Jack G replied to Kelly VanLaningham
Hi Kelly, a great place to start and get a feel for what would be expected of your son at university in the UK. Scotland is a fantastic country to visit!
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Glad to hear it - excellent news on your progress too
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Jack G replied to Sayali Chavan
Thanks, keep posting and interacting with others
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Jack G replied to Emmanuel Munyabarame
Hope you learnt a lot in this week's part of the course
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Jack G replied to Vijay Kumar Arumugam
We hope you can Vijay, thanks for posting
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Jack G replied to Joanna Asiimwe
This looks like a great strategy Joanna - I used to enjoy discussing content in the post lecture seminars as you could learn from other students and share ideas.
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Jack G replied to Mimi Kabanda
This is a really good way to approach each module - your lectures and seminars.
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Jack G replied to Manuel Falcón
Everyone has their own way of time management and it looks like you have a good idea of what works best for you. Notepad on your phone is a good idea and perhaps a good place to start making lists.
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Jack G replied to [Learner left FutureLearn]
Hi Jack - what are you curious about?
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Hi Ehimare - it would be hard to say across all universities in the UK as this will vary greatly. In my experience, lectures can be up to two hundred people and tutorials and seminars can be around 30, these aren't official figures and depends on the course and the university, other students will have different experiences. If this interests you, have you...
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Hi Gustavo - you may find this link helpful on the UCAS website https://www.ucas.com/undergraduate/applying-university/ucas-undergraduate-international-and-eu-students
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There will be some elements of study are new, you're in the right place to learn about study methods at UK universities.
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We hope so too Sebastian
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Jack G replied to Vanessa Bouzon
Hi Vanessa, we do encourage learners to write their comments in English. Joining the course and interacting with other student will help you practise your English.
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Jack G replied to Ikechukwu Gabriel Okenchi
It's great to see interaction and the positivity!
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Jack G replied to Amada Rosa Morales López
@AmadaRosaMoralesLópez it certainly is great to do the course with others
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@HUYTRAN this looks like an effective plan!
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Jack G replied to Marcelle Alleaume
Hi Marcelle, there are parts of this course that help you understand what is expected of you in lectures, group work and writing assignments. You're not the only one who will be nervous about coming to the UK - and you can give each other encouragement in the comments section of these posts.
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@nicolem Welcome Nicole
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Jack G made a comment
Hello everyone, I'm Jack one of the mentors. It's fantastic to read so many comments already, and some with support and advice for your fellow learners - this is great to see and the best way to meet others on the course!! It's lovely to meet you all from a sunny Monday morning in London.
