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The Internet is such a splendid tool for communicating with people and finding out how people are doing things differently all over the world. I want The Learning English Video Project to really be a part of that. |
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Daniel Emmerson, Director |
The Learning English Video Project
The Films
Conversations in Spain (18 minutes)
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"Nobody's there to judge you"
This film starts with a school director whose British father opened the first English language school in Granada in 1954. In this candid interview, the director explains why the first students were predominantly women. The second conversation features an Italian architect visiting Madrid on business. This advanced English learner shares his English learning journey, and reassures other learners that "nobody's there to judge you or to make fun of you if you make a mess." The film wraps up with a conversation with a native Spanish resident of Madrid who teaches English. She sheds light on the structure-based English education system in Spain and expresses her frustration that 13 years studying English does not qualify her as an "expert".
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Tales from America (18 minutes)
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"Think English, speak English"
This film is set in New York City. While the learners in Tales from America describe New York as "big", "unbelievable" and even "lonely" at times, Emmerson uses the words "busy", "vibrant" and "very multi-cultural". The film profiles a handful of learners from diverse backgrounds, including students from Argentina, Austria and South Korea. One of the main messages from the film is that learning English is becoming a necessity in many parts of the world. Interviewees agree that whether you are a translator, a computer engineer or a yoga instructor English is an international language that people "need" in today's job market.
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Lessons from Romania (13 minutes)
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"Awesome"
When Emmerson and his co-producer Joel Carr arrived in Bucharest, they were immediately energized by the "phenomenal" level of English. This caused them to focus on the question, "Why do young Romanians speak English so well?" In the opening sequence of Lessons from Romania a native Romanian English teacher explains how the end of the communist period brought with it a major shift from traditional methods of teaching to a more communicative approach. While the change has been mainly positive, there is some concern that important building blocks from the Grammar Translation system are now missing. Teacher Joanna Stoicescu says that young students are very fluent but they "tend to have problems with stuff like grammar and vocabulary."
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Stories from Morocco (16 minutes)
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"Crucial
tips"
Set in Casablanca, Morocco, this film features footage and interviews focusing on key questions such as "Why are people learning English?" and "What tips and advice can learners offer?" Staff and learners discuss the advantages and challenges of English language learning in Morocco. Interviewees touch on a variety of topics including British vs. American accents, multi-level classrooms, and the similarities of English to French and Spanish.
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Coming soon: Insights from China, Thoughts from Brazil, Inside the UK
