Children all over the world can enjoy their summer learning English with Kangi the kangaroo and friends—with more than 100 free games, design-your-own-avatars and more than 70 videos.

Just in time for the summer holiday, the Helen Doron Group, an international leader in educational programmes for children, is pleased to announce the launch of their upgraded and redesigned interactive educational games site, the Kangi Club.

The comprehensive website is accessible to both registered students of Helen Doron English, as well as the general school-age population interested in learning or improving their English.  Children all over the world, ages 2-12, can enjoy learning English with Kangi and friends.

Following the success of the original Kangi Club site, the revamped games portal gives children of all ages and fluency levels the opportunity to build their own avatars, play over 100 interactive games and watch their favourite characters on the new, streamlined video player.

“Children learn best when they are enjoying themselves,” comments Helen Doron, CEO of the Helen Doron Educational Group. “Kangi Club is supported by our professional pedagogic team and provides an immersive experience that children love as it is fun and exciting. Kids can progress naturally, at their own pace, which builds confidence in their English abilities. ”

Visit the new Kangi Club and your child can learn English all summer and beyond!

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Teens learning English to benefit from new website featuring interactive content, games, quizzes and a popular radio station.

With more than 48,000 fans in 200 countries, Helen Doron Radio, the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) online radio station has become a firm favourite with students seeking to improve their English fluency in an entertaining format. Featuring popular music, live chat, fun and interesting news segments, interviews and more, the station has steadily grown its listener base from its early beginnings in 2013.

The highly successful station has been rebranded as Teen Buzz Radio and hosted on the new Teen Buzz website. With a cooler look and feel, the site offers a large variety of relevant themed content such as:  bullying, body image, relationships, and travel—plus games, quizzes and crosswords supporting the monthly featured focus. With a wide variety of compelling listening and reading comprehension opportunities, as well as Teen Talk, Hot Topics, and Cool Careers, Teen Buzz is set to become a firm favourite with young EFL learners.

“The teen market has limitless potential and the Teen Buzz team is focused on making the portal a destination site for adolescents interested in improving their English”, commented Nathalie Vaknin, Chief Marketing Officer at Helen Doron Ltd.  “Our focus is on creating a community where teens from all over the world can interact and connect with one another in an enjoyable atmosphere which makes learning English easy, so they can sharpen their skills and achieve better results on their exams.”

“There is a proven need for this type of English-learning website. That’s why the development team is putting the tweens/teens first and making the community a place they want to visit with their friends, as well as actively participate in in a variety of ways,” adds Vaknin.

Helen Doron Teen English students benefit from the added bonus of being able to login into their coursework via the site.

The site will be officially launched to coincide with the beginning of the academic year, September 1, 2018.

Please visit us at: http://www.teenbuzz.co

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Over the past 30 years, I have seen and experienced how the Helen Doron methodology has helped children successfully learn English. While I am gratified that the method has been effective, I was interested to hear from teachers, teacher trainers, franchisees and Master Franchisors that the effectiveness of the method has gone beyond the classroom and has individually changed their family lives, their relationships and even the way they do business.

I am not surprised because the Helen Doron method isn’t about just teaching English; it gives the teachers and their students a mind-set and a foundation for success that extends beyond the classroom.

I was recently contacted through social media by a gentleman who told me that the methodology had a lasting impact on him. A former Helen Doron English teacher, he understood that the learning process is dynamic and that it is necessary to adapt content and the method for learning to match the stage and level of development of the learner.  As his teaching experience and career role changed, he moved to the U.S. and was able to take the tools he learnt in his HDE teacher training and successfully apply them to his work in industrial design.

Helen Doron teachers are trained to provide positive reinforcement and build on how children naturally learn. The whole process of learning reinforces for the child that ‘yes, he can!’ He is encouraged and nurtured and this support is, in so many ways, counter to the traditional methods of teaching and even, of parenting. The methodology teaches people and takes them through a process of how to give feedback and how to help children grow. This positive approach creates a healthy mind set which affects all our relationships, not just those in the classroom.

This is how parents should encourage their children. While parents might feel that they need to be critical or negative, it is truly unnecessary. When parents understand that positive reinforcement is a wonderful example for their children, it can extend to all their relationships. Family life improves, even professionally to train others; it can be used anywhere.

Helen Doron English teacher training courses not only provide international qualifications that allow the teacher to teach anywhere in the world, but gives them valuable life skills. In our teacher trainer courses, I see teachers go through a process. It is not just learning how to give positive feedback, it is about reaching deeper, learning to go back inside and be a child and come out in a positive manner. The playfulness brings the teacher out and teaches them techniques that they can use for life. I would not be surprised if people come on the course just to be deeply ingrained in our philosophy. They are being given skills for life.

Find out more about the successful Helen Doron methodology HERE.

Interested in teaching or other career opportunities with Helen Doron English, click HERE.

The post More than English, Values for Life appeared first on Helen Doron Csömör.

Over the past 30 years, I have seen and experienced how the Helen Doron methodology has helped children successfully learn English. While I am gratified that the method has been effective, I was interested to hear from teachers, teacher trainers, franchisees and Master Franchisors that the effectiveness of the method has gone beyond the classroom and has individually changed their family lives, their relationships and even the way they do business.

I am not surprised because the Helen Doron method isn’t about just teaching English; it gives the teachers and their students a mind-set and a foundation for success that extends beyond the classroom.

I was recently contacted through social media by a gentleman who told me that the methodology had a lasting impact on him. A former Helen Doron English teacher, he understood that the learning process is dynamic and that it is necessary to adapt content and the method for learning to match the stage and level of development of the learner.  As his teaching experience and career role changed, he moved to the U.S. and was able to take the tools he learnt in his HDE teacher training and successfully apply them to his work in industrial design.

Helen Doron teachers are trained to provide positive reinforcement and build on how children naturally learn. The whole process of learning reinforces for the child that ‘yes, he can!’ He is encouraged and nurtured and this support is, in so many ways, counter to the traditional methods of teaching and even, of parenting. The methodology teaches people and takes them through a process of how to give feedback and how to help children grow. This positive approach creates a healthy mind set which affects all our relationships, not just those in the classroom.

This is how parents should encourage their children. While parents might feel that they need to be critical or negative, it is truly unnecessary. When parents understand that positive reinforcement is a wonderful example for their children, it can extend to all their relationships. Family life improves, even professionally to train others; it can be used anywhere.

Helen Doron English teacher training courses not only provide international qualifications that allow the teacher to teach anywhere in the world, but gives them valuable life skills. In our teacher trainer courses, I see teachers go through a process. It is not just learning how to give positive feedback, it is about reaching deeper, learning to go back inside and be a child and come out in a positive manner. The playfulness brings the teacher out and teaches them techniques that they can use for life. I would not be surprised if people come on the course just to be deeply ingrained in our philosophy. They are being given skills for life.

Find out more about the successful Helen Doron methodology HERE.

Interested in teaching or other career opportunities with Helen Doron English, click HERE.

The post More than English, Values for Life appeared first on Helen Doron Csömör.

Finding the Best Way to Teach English

When my daughter Ella was four years old, she began learning to play the violin with the Suzuki method, which teaches young children to play musical instrument before reading notation. Dr Suzuki called this ‘the language of music’. He did this by repeated home hearing of the portions of music to be studied and positive activities in class to teach the young hands how to play. And he also made sure the children received positive feedback so they felt successful.

I realised that this is actually how we should be teaching foreign languages: to very young children and by a way that imitated the manner in which they learn their mother tongue.  It was clear to me that this had to be through repeated background hearing of language portions at home so that the brain would receive repeated hits and make the language part of its physiology, and by positive reinforcement by the teacher.

Initially, I assumed that someone must have already developed such a methodology for teaching English, but this wasn’t the case. So, in 1985 I started teaching young children ages 1 to 6 with the goal of finding testing my theory of how it was best for young to learn English as a foreign language.

To create the home background hearing that could be repeated, I created audio cassettes, which consisted of me plunking on the piano while singing, as well as making home recordings of poems and stories. It worked really well and the following year I had many more students and, because there was such great demand, I realised the need to train teachers in the methodology and materials. Clearly I also needed to create professional learning materials.

Right from the beginning, my true passion was for the very young ages, because I believe that if a child has a good foundation, it is for life.  This foundation extends beyond the classroom. Early parent-child bonding and helping parents to understand their children’s full potential during the early years not only makes for good learning but gives the child a basis for success, joy and self-confidence that has a very real impact on their children’s development.  At these early ages, up to the age of seven, the child’s brain is primed for learning. The right mental stimulation and physical activities create greater brain connectivity and in turn, more neural pathways. This prepares him or her to succeed.

Find out in part 2 how a fun and stress-free learning environment, based on support and positive reinforcement means that a child will believe in himself, learn easily and will have a foundation of confidence for life.

Learn more about Helen Doron English and Helen Doron Kindergarten programmes.

The post The Best Way to Teach English appeared first on Helen Doron Csömör.

Finding the Best Way to Teach English

When my daughter Ella was four years old, she began learning to play the violin with the Suzuki method, which teaches young children to play musical instrument before reading notation. Dr Suzuki called this ‘the language of music’. He did this by repeated home hearing of the portions of music to be studied and positive activities in class to teach the young hands how to play. And he also made sure the children received positive feedback so they felt successful.

I realised that this is actually how we should be teaching foreign languages: to very young children and by a way that imitated the manner in which they learn their mother tongue.  It was clear to me that this had to be through repeated background hearing of language portions at home so that the brain would receive repeated hits and make the language part of its physiology, and by positive reinforcement by the teacher.

Initially, I assumed that someone must have already developed such a methodology for teaching English, but this wasn’t the case. So, in 1985 I started teaching young children ages 1 to 6 with the goal of finding testing my theory of how it was best for young to learn English as a foreign language.

To create the home background hearing that could be repeated, I created audio cassettes, which consisted of me plunking on the piano while singing, as well as making home recordings of poems and stories. It worked really well and the following year I had many more students and, because there was such great demand, I realised the need to train teachers in the methodology and materials. Clearly I also needed to create professional learning materials.

Right from the beginning, my true passion was for the very young ages, because I believe that if a child has a good foundation, it is for life.  This foundation extends beyond the classroom. Early parent-child bonding and helping parents to understand their children’s full potential during the early years not only makes for good learning but gives the child a basis for success, joy and self-confidence that has a very real impact on their children’s development.  At these early ages, up to the age of seven, the child’s brain is primed for learning. The right mental stimulation and physical activities create greater brain connectivity and in turn, more neural pathways. This prepares him or her to succeed.

Find out in part 2 how a fun and stress-free learning environment, based on support and positive reinforcement means that a child will believe in himself, learn easily and will have a foundation of confidence for life.

Learn more about Helen Doron English and Helen Doron Kindergarten programmes.

The post The Best Way to Teach English appeared first on Helen Doron Csömör.

Helen, you are best known for the pioneering work you have done creating a unique methodology for teaching English to young children but what about teens that have just started learning English? There are teens who need basic content that is appealing and geared to their interests and their intelligence. What do you recommend? 

I am glad that you asked! I know that we are best known for our early English programmes. These programmes begin for children as young as three months of age and we offer 14 courses for children in the 3 month to 11-year-old age group, alone. Less well known, but equally important are our courses for teens. These unique programmes, with original pop music and stories written just for teens, were developed by pedagogic experts and offer beginner, intermediate and advanced levels that prepare students for the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) exams.

There are teens that truly need a starter level; they are either ‘false beginners’—students who have a basic knowledge of a language, but need to start to study it again from the beginning) or they have never learnt English. One of our recent projects has been to create programmes especially for these students. We have rewritten two courses to make them suitable for beginner teens: Paul Ward Explores and Paul Ward’s Adventures. We presume that these students know the Latin alphabet and with that as our base, we teach these teens the very basics of English, with emphasis on spoken language and grammar. These programmes are suitable for ages 8 to 14 years. You might wonder how a series suitable for an eight year old would be appropriate for a teen. The beauty of these materials are that the graphics and texts are more mature, the songs are engaging, and the starter level materials are suitable for an 8 year old, 11 year old or even a 14 year old. Ecology, women’s rights, animal rights are important issues that make course content relevant and interesting. Basic skills are woven into the higher level content and are quite well received.

Created by an international team, the programmes’ writers work hand in hand with the Helen Doron English teacher trainers. They have extensive experience in working with this age group and are creating programmes for this niche market.  Not only is the content on target, but the key to the success of these programmes is our unique methodology. The courses are fun and lively and students learn in a small group setting. They appeal to all types of learners—visual, auditory and kinaesthetic and when taught by expert trained teachers who offer positive reinforcement, beginner teens have exactly what they need to learn English successfully.

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Which values are best?

The question isn’t whether or not teachers should be teaching values, but what kinds of values should teachers help students develop. First, by being a positive role model, a teacher models the right behaviours. These include honesty, showing respect for others, taking responsibility for one’s actions, cooperation and caring. Students are the reflections of their teacher. The way teacher acts, behaves and talks, is observed and evaluated by the student.

Secondly, by teaching students how to think and evaluate what they are learning, they are teaching values along with course content. For example, a lesson that teaches about Earth Day not only teaches facts and numbers, but also about caring for the environment.

Language impacts our values

English teachers, by the very nature of their course content, teach values. The languages that we learn and speak impact the way we think, the way we see the world, and the way we live our lives.  When children learn a second language, they learn more than words. They learn about different cultures, about different ways of thinking and about how to accept and respect differences.

More than 30 years of experience in teaching English as a Foreign Language has shown me that the original methodology that our trained Helen Doron teachers use in the classroom to teach English supports learning good values. Our teachers use positive reinforcement, which teaches students respect for others, as well as respect for themselves. Learning through fun and games in small groups of 4-8 students teaches good sportsmanship and team building skills.

Be part of a global community

Helen Doron is a community and Helen Doron lessons bring out communal awareness. This is something we teach in our classes. While I don’t usually use this blog format as a personal platform, I am quite pleased to announce our global campaign, Young Heroes, which empowers children to bring about change in their communities. The campaign will run from April to June, 2017 and speaks directly to values of Helen Doron English: teaching students about caring for each other, the environment and the community. Helen Doron English learning centres from all over Europe. South America and Asia will be participating in this worthwhile campaign that encourages children to embrace their inner hero and become better world citizens. We’re calling on all students to join our campaign. The Young Heroes project isn’t limited to Helen Doron English students; anyone from a school, club or community centre who wants to form a team and participate in this worthy endeavor can do so. Anyone can be a Young Hero!

Young Heroes emphasizes that being a hero doesn’t require superpowers or even special skills. It is about children working together as a team to improve the lives of the people and animals around them.

The Young Heroes project is divided into three key phases: Discover. Dream. Do. Under the guidance of our teachers and with the support of their parents, we encourage children to go out into the community and Discover challenges that need solving. Next, they are asked to Dream up solutions. Finally, they are asked to carry out the project — to Do what they planned in the classroom. Any child, no matter how small, or tall, can make a difference in their community. Young Heroes shows you how. Join us, as we lead change in our communities Find out more at: www.helendoron.com/youngheroes

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Helen, let’s please continue our conversation about the various elements that contribute to the success of the Helen Doron methodology; what makes the method work?

There are a variety of components that contribute to the success of the methodology, and we have more to explain about the important features that spiral learning contributes to its success. Spiral learning is a relatively new concept in education. Rather than trying to master a subject all at once, spiral learning teaches a concept gradually and repeatedly, reinforcing concepts over time. The idea is that each time a student encounters the topic; the student expands their knowledge or improves their skill level. It is a very natural process.

I’ll share an interesting anecdote with you: I had a two-year-old child attending one of my classes that was mostly four-year-old children. In the early years we didn’t have the wealth of learning materials that we now have and we varied the ages in the classroom. Today we are more precise. This child was what we today might call hyperactive and he spent all his time going around the class moving and making sounds like an airplane. When I would teach a new idea he would stop, the airplane would come into land and he would sit mesmerized and lap it all up. When I finished teaching the new materials he would get up and return to flying around the class again. He knew what was new material, it was absolutely clear.

Spiral Learning is a much better method than the mastery method. When you teach mastery method, even if it is through different and enjoyable activities, the material is not new and this does not stimulate the children the way new information does. The children want to learn new ideas. They are comfortable with not having complete mastery of all the information from the start.  They do not feel that they need to know the information thoroughly before they continue and learn something else.  With spiral learning, when the students return to the information the next month or year, they will learn it in a new and different context. They will learn different nuances of the concept and they will gain an even richer understanding of the language.

For example, what is the word ‘train’? To a toddler, the word simply refers to a ‘choo-choo train’ but as the child grows and learns, the word takes on additional meanings and what might come to mind is long back of a wedding gown, a ‘wedding dress train.’  The word ‘train’ can also be used as a verb – to teach, or ‘train’ someone. There is also the concept of a ‘train of thought’ and so on…. So, with each stage of development, when the child learns the word ‘train’ in a different context, he understands that the meaning can have many different nuances. 

If spiral learning is a natural way of learning, then why is the mastery method still used so much?

The truth is, some teachers and parents prefer the mastery method. They believe the right way is to teach the child until they fully know whatever is being taught and will teach it again and again through different activities and different approaches but won’t move on until they know it. The reality is, the child won’t remember all that was taught and will often forget much of what they have learned when the information is stuffed into them.

Now, in truth, the mastery method can be a more satisfying way of teaching, it is much easier. With the spiral learning method, you really have to plan your curriculum and you have to know where you are going and plan ahead for the different stages that an idea is introduced. Many teachers don’t have such well-planned curriculums.  When kids start learning with the Helen Doron programme we know what they are going to learn at 3 months old, the week after, the month after, at one year, five years and even 15 years on. We have a very strong curriculum built on spiral learning. I have worked with experts in education and child development to create a scientific and researched curriculum.  The beauty of it is, the kids don’t know the technicalities, they are just having fun learning. So, while it is more challenging to teach this way because of the thought and planning required, I believe that this natural way of learning is more satisfying. It takes into account that learning naturally is fun, engaging, and is an anecdote to boredom.

There is an old story where the teacher leaves the classroom and enters the teachers lounge. When asked by another teacher, what did your class learn today, he replied, ‘I know what I taught them but I don’t know what they have learned.’ It is sad but this is how much education is taught worldwide. It is defunct but parents will sign them up for this type of class because it is how they learnt and in their minds, this is the correct way. It is not logical for the child’s mind even if it is for the parents. The child will not enjoy it and the parent may not recognize that this is not how a child naturally learns. They need to get comfortable with the idea that the child will learn and will retain the information. Young children’s minds must be allowed to grow and develop confidently and not worry about exactly how much they know but to rejoice in the learning process itself.

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