Отзывы о школe BERTRAND RUSSELL SCHOOL

BERTRAND RUSSELL SCHOOL

На данный момент владею итальянским на базовом уровне, очень не хватает практики общения. Пока услугами школы доволен, Очень сильно помогает именно с практикой.

BERTRAND RUSSELL SCHOOL

Скажем прямо, что для того, чтоб чему-то научиться, нужно приложить не мало усилий. Но благодаря вам я обрела базовые навыки и на начальном этапе уже смогу просто объясниться и понимать людей)

BERTRAND RUSSELL SCHOOL

Not for beginners!

I enrolled on a 4 week Italian course which started on 7 March 2016. When I enrolled I informed the lady on reception that I was a complete beginner and confirmed that it was an 80 hours course with a maximum of 10 students per class; which started at 9am on 7 March 2016. It is clearly stated on the Bertrand Russell website and brochure that there is a maximum of “10 students per class” and “for each course there are 80 hours of lessons spread over a 4-week period”. For these reasons I choose to study at Bertrand Russell Language School. 

The first issue is the amount of students per class! On the first day there were 12 students in this tiny classroom. I made a formal complaint via email to Christina on day two – which was quickly disregarded She informed me that if there are more than 10 people in the class she would consider splitting us. The class was not split up throughout the 4 weeks. There was not a single day when less than 10 students were in the class. Christina even introduced new students throughout the course and towards the end we had to move into an even bigger classroom due to the amount of students enrolled. 

At times, students were chatting to their neighbour about irrelevant activities – and I struggled to hear the teacher. Some students were simply not paying attention to the teacher. With a smaller class there is less disruption. Furthermore, some students, including myself, were embarrassed and did not have the confidence to speak in front of such a large group. 

Secondly, they have a 30 minute break every day which is not advertised. I understand the need for a break - students need time to relax before concentrating for a further hour and a half. However, Bertrand Russell promote online, on their flyer and orally that “for each course there are 80 hours of lessons spread over a 4-week period”. The school does not provide 80 hours of lessons due to having a 30 minute break every day. In doing so, this equates to 10 hours of non-teaching time over the 4 week course. The school provides 70 hours of lessons spread over a 4-week period. 

Thirdly, the teaching methods are not what they advertise. During the 4 week Italian beginner course there was never any other teaching method bar reading through the exercise book, filling in gaps and listening to other students read the sentences. There are no games or debates during the course. The teaching method was very outdated and extremely boring.

Fourthly, and very importantly, the level of Italian required is not beginners. IF YOU ARE A COMPLETE BEGINNER THIS IS NOT FOR YOU. Bertrand Russell’s promotional material states that no or very little Italian language is needed for the beginner course. When I began the course I had no Italian language knowledge but during the first class we were introduced to phrases and sentences which were not suited to a complete beginner. I was put under a lot of pressure to speak in Italian and understand sentences I had heard for the first time. I felt embarrassed that my Italian was not at the level of some others in the class. The level of Italian being taught was not for a complete beginner and I even contemplated quitting the course. 

Fifthly, the mix of student ability in my class was extremely wide. I found that I was the complete beginner alongside two or three others and then there were some students which had completed the 4 week course already. 

I expected a much higher level of service from Bertrand Russell due to its reputation and information stated on promotional material. I am very disappointed and regret choosing Bertrand Russell. Changes need to be made to the schools promotional material and potentially the way the classes are organised. The only good thing was I learnt something and Dario the teacher was very thorough.

BERTRAND RUSSELL SCHOOL

Not appropriate for learning conversation!

I attended the Bertrand Russell Italian Language School for three weeks in March and April, 2016 and, although the instructors (I had three) were very enthusiastic and welcoming, I was very disappointed with the program itself. I had previously attended the Italian language programs of the Berlitz School in Rome and the British Institute in Florence (at the upper intermediate level), both of which were magnificent experiences. The BR program seems to focus almost entirely, at least in the first three months of study, on written grammar. In class, I spent four hours each day mostly filling in worksheet pages in the various textbooks. Conversation was minimal, and there was no guided practice in conversation. I was shocked at this, since it was conversational ability that I wanted to develop. 

On the third day of what I had planned to be a monthlong course of study, I complained to the director of the school. She informed me that the conversation class was offered only after four months of study in grammar. I found this approach absolutely baffling, and not at all supported by the research in language learning or by current practice at any of the language schools I have attended. She refused to refund my tuition, and would only offer two hours weekly of private tutoring as a substitute for the 20 hours of classroom instruction which I found completely unsatisfactory. I was angry and upset that she seemed so unconcerned to have such a dissatisfied client. I managed to endure three weeks of the program before I finally quit in disgust. 

If your intention is to prepare yourself to pass written tests in Italian, this may be the place for you. If you would like to develop listening comprehension and conversational fluency (in order to enjoy daily life in Italy, watch Italian films, etc.), this is definitely not the place to go. I cannot say enough nice things about my instructors, who were all wonderful people, but I could never recommend the program at this school to anyone.

BERTRAND RUSSELL SCHOOL

Супер, очень легкое и при этом эффективное обучение! Спасибо! Советую 

BERTRAND RUSSELL SCHOOL

Finger weg! Auf gar keinen Fall diese Schule wählen !!!

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