Testimonials
Richard is a one-of-a-kind tutor; his British cinema module teaches students like myself in an interactive, unconventional and modern way about British history and society, which makes it even more fun and effortless to learn, sticking onto your memory forever, when compared to traditional in-class teaching …. The module on its own is very interesting and versatile since it mixes a range of subjects, different time-frames and events within British society, from royalty to the Norther Ireland borders, drugs and riots. It also gives the student a broad overview of British history, creating a critical and historical view of why British society today is the way it is, especially for those like me who had never lived in Britain nor experienced such a culture before. All in all, it’s a very enjoyable module, something not to be missed by any student in learning about British history and society.
Finally, someone has offered a completely different approach to getting students of English as a foreign language to talk and to involve themselves and the class members in, to my mind, an exciting and unusual way to discuss/analyse aspects of modern Britain through the medium of cinema films. The material is aimed at the intermediate to advanced student and offers a range of British films for discussion (in English, naturally) stretching back to World War II right up to the present. The cinematographic focus is very much on modern Britain (multicultural issue/problems), but the war and immediate post-war periods are not neglected. The material is not always easy to get one’s head around, but it sets students thinking, gets them chattering and offers such a refreshing change from all those cliché situations (job interviews, telephone conversations, etc.) that students realize are helpful but that they tend to groan over when they encounter them. My experience has been that this unconventional course holds their attention brilliantly and in a fairly short time improves overall fluency. Whether it improves their spelling is a moot point, but the improved spoken ability is tangible. Very strongly recommended for teachers and students!!
"I am very impressed with how thorough the materials are. You have covered all key points. You have put a great deal of time and work into producing them. For example, Trainspotting is such an interesting and original film with much to analyse. I think the worksheet is excellent and the teacher's notes very comprehensive."
The best aspect of the course for me was going through different periods of British society: this was very interesting as it shows how times have changed vastly, and using movies to see these changes was very effective!
"Hope and Glory - what a good film this is and your teaching-materials do ample justice to it. I really felt quite inspired to teach it all over again! However, it was great at the time and I still think of it as an inspiring film to motivate kids (and adults) in all sorts of different ways…. I think you've managed to grade your questions up from the relatively simple onto quite difficult concepts - and I must admit I hadn't thought of the balloon as a symbol before…but there again, it's interesting thinking about what it represents…!"