Key Information
About the content
This course is for people who are learning English and who are interested in finding out more about British culture and improving their English language skills. The course will use short videos to present a different topic each week, including English as a global language, the environment, entrepreneurship and literature. Filmed in Great Britain, these videos will help you to develop your listening skills as you watch authentic examples of people speaking English. Our experienced tutor will examine some of the language used in the videos and will draw your attention to useful points that will help you improve your spoken and written English.
Syllabus
The course does not follow a language syllabus but takes authentic English in context as its starting point. Short quizzes and discussions will help you measure your understanding and practise your English throughout the course.
At the end of each week you will be asked to describe your own feelings and experiences about that week’s topic in a short piece of writing. The course draws on the British Council’s expertise in online learning. It is one of three courses from its Exploring English course collection. You can find out more about this course in Chris Cavey’s post for the FutureLearn blog: “3 tips for getting the most out of Exploring English.”
Instructors
Genevieve White
I've taught English in Hungary, Romania, China and the UK. At the moment I teach in Shetland and I also write English language teaching materials.
David Lewis
I have been working in English language teaching for over twenty years in Europe and Africa, teaching a wide range of classes to everyone from 5 years old and up!
Content Designer
The British Council creates international opportunities for the people of the UK and other countries and builds trust worldwide.
The British Council is on the ground in six continents and over 100 countries bringing international opportunity to life, every day. Each year their teams work with millions of people, connecting them with the United Kingdom, sharing cultures and the UK’s most attractive assets: the English language, the Arts, Education and its ways of living and organising society. The British Council has over 75 years’ experience of doing this.
Platform
FutureLearn is a massive open online course (MOOC) learning platform founded in December 2012.
It is a company launched and wholly owned by The Open University in Milton Keynes, England. It is the first UK-led massive open online course learning platform, and as of March 2015 included 54 UK and international University partners and unlike similar platforms includes four non-university partners: the British Museum, the British Council, the British Library and the National Film and Television School.
