Hello everybody,
For children, learning a foreign
language can be very easy, if there is an interesting teaching technique, the
most modern devices and the best books. For most teachers these days, the
teaching methods of a foreign language have become obsolete. Kids Fun in Cyprus
can prove that learning can be interactive, fun and easy for all children. Kids
Fun in Cyprus discovered a place in Limassol that has magic skills: gives to
children Super Powers: Superminds!
Learning a foreign language can
be both easy and effective, provided there is an interesting and challenging
Method/Programme. The vast majority of teachers of English today, mainly those
teaching English to kids, rely on and use only the Teaching Material provided
by ELT (English Language Teaching) publishers.
Kids Fun in Cyprus found for you an
amazing English Language programme for Kids which uses the latest Educational
Technology, ground-breaking Teaching Aids and Lesson Plans, Blocks, Lego, Interactive
Learning Consoles, CLIL Educational Kits (Content and Language Integrated Learning), Experiments, Cinema and
other innovative materials and methods. SUPERMINDS! Not only does it teach your
kids English but it also teaches then Values and
Skills like problem solving, self - respect, critical thinking, logic, and team
work.
Mrs Maria A. Ioannou will help
us discover and understand how Superminds can make your children love English
language and will reveal a new gate to learning more about Science, Maths and
other subjects. Mrs. Maria A. Ioannou has obtained a TEFL (Teaching
English as a Foreign Language) qualification from Trinity College, a BA English
1st Class Honours from the University of Reading, an MA Twentieth
Century English Literature from King’s College London and she is currently a
PhD Creative Writing candidate at the University of Winchester. She has more
than 12 years experience in teaching and educational programme design and she
is also a writer, with already two short story collections published in Greece (“The
gigantic fall of an eyelash” / Gavrielides Publishing 2011, awarded with the
“Emerging Writer” State Prize and “Cauldron” / Nefeli Publishing 2015).
Izzy: Dear Maria we are very happy to meet you and to find out more
information about the wonderful English Learning Programme of Superminds. What
can you tell us about it, what alternative does it offer to the usual way of
learning a foreign language for children?
Maria Ioannou: Superminds is based on the theories of three famous
linguists: Gardner, Schank and Piaget. Gardner understood the importance of
“Multiple Intelligence”, Piaget recognized that kids “handle concrete images more easily than abstract
words” and Schank believed that “Children learn by trying to do something rather than knowing how to do
something”.
Izzy: For what categories of age is Superminds programme suitable
and how does it work? What can you tell us about the teaching experience of the
teachers?
Maria Ioannou: Superminds is
ideal for kids aged 3-5 and 6-8 .
Hm…how it works… Well, unless
one checks out the programme “in action” one cannot understand its potential
and capabilities. However, I am sure you will get an idea if you consider the
following statement:
Superminds English Learning
Programme for Kids uses 6 different activities per session. All 6 activities
have some minutes for “winding down”. For example, let us assume that today’s
lesson is: Farm Animals. Imagine how effective the lesson would be if the kids
were approached through 6 different activities based on the Linguistic Theories
mentioned above. Also, imagine how effective the lesson would be if Multiple
Intelligence was implemented in the session and how interesting the lesson
would be if, for each activity, there was a different Teaching Aid.
Our teachers/trainers are “composers”, “actors”, “entertainers”,
“chameleons” and much much more!
Izzy: I was surprised to notice the multitude of books and latest
technology devices, which the learning program uses in its lessons. What can
you tell us about them and how do they improve the learning process?
Maria Ioannou: Kids have innate abilities and use their curiosity
and senses to learn. Superminds helps them do that, the materials used motivate
them, audio-visual and hand-on activities keep them interested and unusual
creative tasks push their perception and knowledge further. There’s no better
way to learn than in an environment you feel comfortable in, an environment
where everyone is equal, capable, active and creative.
Izzy: How does Superminds teach children, skills and values? Is it
real? Can kids also learn Science, Maths and Logic in the same time with
learning a foreign language?
Maria Ioannou: Superminds teaches Skills and Values through Simulations,
Interaction, Theatre, Role Play, all
combined with the latest Educational Technology. Yes, children do acquire such knowledge,
but of course, the emphasis is on the acquisition of the actual language.
Izzy: Are children able to pass the first levels of the Cambridge
examinations after following the Superminds classes? What conditions have to be
met?
Maria Ioannou: Superminds programme is offered in 5 levels: 0,1,2,3 and 4, covering the first levels
of the Cambridge Examinations:
Starters-Movers-Flyers-KET-PET.
Our mission is to develop the Skills, the Values and the
Language Learning Acquisition of children, through TPR (Total Physical
Response) and CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning), and prepare
children not only for exams but also life.
Izzy: Thank you very much Maria for sharing with as such valuable
information about your center. We would like you, to tell us a nice experience
that you will remember forever and can be shared with our readers.
Maria Ioannou: Every single
minute you share with children of that age in the classroom is something you
treasure for life, the way they look at you, act and experiment, the way they
progress, adjust and improvise, their warmth and beauty is the best experience
in the world! Superminds is not a traditional programme, it does not limit
itself within the boundaries of a classroom, or the boundaries of a time space,
syllabus or book. It’s a way of thinking, of perception, life.
Lots of sunny days from
Izzy the Cypriot lizard!
SUPERMINDS English Center
Address: 8 Souliou Street,
3016, Limassol, Cyprus
Monthly fees: 30 euro / 1 hour per week
Age groups: 3-4, 5-6
Contact person: Mrs Maria
Ioannou / Mr Antonis Ioannou
Phone no: 00357 25571138
E-mail: plato@cytanet.com.cy
Webpage: www.supermind-kids.com