EAQUALS

IALC

World Youth Student & Educational Travel Confederation


<h3>What inspired you to join the team at Good Hope Studies?</h3><p>After returning to Cape Town from my first TEFL experience in Thailand, I knew what rewards a career in teaching English to foreigners might hold. I just needed to find a good school that was hiring &ndash; the fates brought me to GHS, and now it&rsquo;s more than a decade later!</p><p>GHS is committed to staff development &ndash; it is here that I have been given the opportunities to acquire the academic knowledge and classroom skills that have equipped me to undertake the role I have today.</p><p>GHS also fits my own beliefs about what a great school should offer to clients &ndash; most educators are idealists at heart and are motivated by a desire to help. GHS has small classes, dedicated teachers, and excellent resources &ndash; the ideal setup for language learning.</p><figure class="awesome-image right-aligned" style="width: 300px;"><img style="display: inline;" src="http://www5.goabroad.com/images/interviews/desiree-mccall4-1548319379.jpg" alt=""><figcaption class="caption"><p></p></figcaption></figure><h3>Can you tell us about your role as the Academic Development Manager?</h3><p>My current role in academic development has two main areas of focus.</p><p>First is the development of our teaching staff &ndash; we encourage our teachers to never stop learning.&nbsp; We run in-house development workshops and courses (like our Delta Module 1 preparation course), as well as offering recognized online courses to our staff.&nbsp; Of equal importance is classroom observations where teachers can get feedback from both peers and teacher trainers on the practical application of ideas explored in workshops. Teaching, after all, is a craft to be honed through reflective practice.</p><p>The other main development area concerns product: courses and materials for learning that are relevant to our learners, our context, and our times.&nbsp; As technology and globalism change the way we interact and teach, so too must our materials and the courses we offer our students.</p><h3>What are important qualities that you make sure to include in the new courses you develop?</h3><p>To us it&rsquo;s important to move with the times while keeping best teaching practice at our core.&nbsp; We have most recently introduced a digital writing course, <i>Write On</i>, that takes into account the fact that most written interactions happen digitally in modern times. We incorporate technology where relevant in our courses.&nbsp;</p><p>Even more fundamental is the communicative approach that underpins all our courses &ndash; our students always get an opportunity to produce language, even if it&rsquo;s in our course, <i>Listen Up</i>, which focuses on listening and pronunciation. Practice is absolutely key to language acquisition.</p><figure class="awesome-image left-aligned" style="width: 300px;"><img style="display: inline;" src="http://www5.goabroad.com/images/interviews/desiree-mccall1-1548319545.jpg" alt=""><figcaption class="caption"><p></p></figcaption></figure><h3>What can students expect from these courses?</h3><p>Our students can expect lessons with lots of pair and group work to offer them as many opportunities to produce language as possible, where they are guided and supported by teacher feedback, and lessons that adapt to the unique interests and skills of the individuals in the group. There is often a South African flavor in the content of our courses &ndash; our unique history, our wildlife, and our city make for excellent contexts from which to explore language.</p><h3>Why should students choose Good Hope Studies?</h3><p>From your first email of enquiry to our registrar, the airport pick-up, your accommodation, the lessons and the social club activities &ndash; you are supported by the GHS team, each of whom is dedicated to ensuring the best experience possible.&nbsp;</p><p>Quality is the driving concept behind the products we offer &ndash; from the facilities at our schools to the staff we hire. Good Hope Studies is accredited by Eaquals &ndash; a European organization that fosters excellence in language education. When you choose Good Hope Studies, you are guaranteed an international level of excellence.</p><figure class="awesome-image right-aligned" style="width: 300px;"><img style="" src="http://www5.goabroad.com/images/interviews/desiree-mccall3-1548319600.jpg" alt=""><figcaption class="caption"><p></p></figcaption></figure><h3>How do you integrate international learning techniques and materials into the work Good Hope does?</h3><p>Cape Town is geographically quite isolated from the major academic centres like Europe and North America. Being a member of Eaquals and IALC helps us to keep up with trends in the industry which we then apply in our courses. Every year, we fly north for the Eaquals conference. The new ideas we get exposed to are shared with our teachers in our input sessions and, where relevant, we adapt our courses &ndash; it&rsquo;s very organic, nothing is imposed.&nbsp;</p><h3>Why is Cape Town an ideal location for students?</h3><p>I&rsquo;ve lived in Cape Town for almost 20 years and I&rsquo;m still in awe by the natural beauty of this city.&nbsp; Pristine beaches, mountain hikes, wild life, adventure sports, vineyards and craft breweries, live music venues and theatre, food trucks and markets, clubs and pubs, cultural diversity, historical poignancy &ndash; Cape Town has it all in ways that few other cities can claim.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><h3>What are the biggest lessons you hope students take away from Good Hope courses?</h3><p>Attending a course at Good Hope Studies is like being at a mini UN meeting &ndash; we have students from around the globe. So while they acquire for themselves a new, valuable skill (English) that will help them with their studies and/or careers, they also learn about other people and cultures - despite perceived differences, a class of diverse language learners can work together towards a common goal and celebrate each other&rsquo;s successes.</p><figure class="awesome-image left-aligned" style="width: 300px;"><img style="" src="http://www5.goabroad.com/images/interviews/desiree-mccall2-1548319423.jpg" alt=""><figcaption class="caption"><p></p></figcaption></figure><h3>Why do you think it is important for individuals to travel and experience new cultures?</h3><p>Travel has the power to transform. It can reboot your battery that&rsquo;s been depleted by the stress of study or work; it can open your eyes and heart to the reality of other people's lives; it can connect you to historical events in ways that a history book can&rsquo;t; it can challenge you to make personal changes, and also remind you why home and family are important. It teaches that experiences are more important than things.&nbsp;</p><h3>What does meaningful travel mean to you?</h3><p>Meaningful travel, as I mentioned before, is transformative. While the impact on the individual is important, the impact on the place being visited is also vital to consider. Our sister company, Good Hope Volunteers, offers our students the opportunity to give back by doing volunteer work in impoverished communities, rural areas, and nature conservation.&nbsp;</p><h3>&nbsp;Are there any new developments or courses at Good Hope Studies that we can expect to see in the near future?</h3><p>We are currently reworking our intensive course syllabus for 2019 to offer more variety over the duration of a course. We will also continue to incorporate what&rsquo;s current in terms of technology to keep our classrooms a relevant and motivating environment in which to learn English.</p>


Desirée McCall

Get to know the people behind Good Hope Studies! Check out this GoAbroad Staff Interview with Desirée McCall.

Desirée McCall | Good Hope Studies Staff Interview

Desirée McCall - Academic Development Manager

The Rugby & Learning project is a special program in Cape Town, South Africa. It helps kids from a place called Langa Township get better at school subjects like English and math, and also teaches them how to play rugby. This program started more than 22 years ago just with rugby, but now it does a lot more. It helps kids learn important things for school and gives them a chance to play and grow in a safe place. People who are 18 years old or older can come help out for anywhere between 2 to 12 weeks, from the start of the year until December.

If you decide to help with this project, you'll work with coaches and teachers to make a big difference in the kids' lives. Your day will be split into two parts. In the morning, you might play games, read stories, or do fun learning activities with younger kids. In the afternoon, it's time for rugby and helping with homework. There are also special trips and activities that make everything extra fun. You'll stay in a nice house with other volunteers, and you'll have everything you need to be comfortable. This project is a great way to help out, learn about a new culture, and make new friends.

Volunteer to Coach Rugby and Teach Academics in Cape Town

Good Hope Studies participants in South Africa

Good Hope Studies

Sales Wolves

Established in 1995, Good Hope Studies is an internationally accredited private English language school with two centers in great locations in South Africa. Students may choose between the vibrant and energetic city center campus, which is at the heart of all the best that Cape Town has to offer, or the upmarket residential area of Newlands, close to the University of Cape Town. We are a member of IALC and EAQUALS and a CELTA teacher training center. We teach English as a foreign language and we run our own extensive volunteer program. We offer a unique learning experience that is highly efficient, fun, and affordable. Our students can expect stylish premises in safe and convenient locations where they can study in a welcoming and quiet environment.

Established in 1995, Good Hope Studies is an internationally accredited private English language school with two centers in great locations in South Africa. Students may choose between the vibrant and energetic city center campus, which is at the heart of all the best that Cape Town has to offer, or the upmarket residential area of Newlands, close to the University of Cape Town. We are a member of...

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