ANNA MARTINOVA, LALI MAKHARADZE AND TINATIN BURTIKASHVILI ARE THREE TEACHERS FROM DIFFERENT PARTS OF GEORGIA. HERE, THEY ARE SHARING STORIES OF HOW THE LEARNING HUBS PROGRAMME HELPED THEM INCREASE THEIR CONFIDENCE AND GAIN NEW SKILLS.
Anna Martinova, Didi Jikhaishi Community Centre
'Learning Hubs' completely changed me as a teacher. It showed me quite different views and approaches to teaching English. I was able to develop professionally, improve my teaching skills, enrich my knowledge on topics such as lesson planning, motivation, 21st century skills, etc. which are crucial for my job.
What stood out for me was access to websites that contained information that was highly applicable and diverse. Thanks to this project, I also connected with new colleagues with whom I share experience and knowledge regularly.
At our sessions we discuss activities for reading, writing, speaking and listening. I implemented these activities with great success, so my teaching skills are constantly improving thanks to this group work.
When I have the opportunity, I try to share what I learnt from this project with my colleagues. This programme keeps me enthusiastic and stimulates me to constantly improve my classes.
Lali Makharadze, Chakhvi Community Centre
I first came in contact with the British Council in 2013 when I attended the training: 'Using Technologies in the Learning Process'. At that time, I couldn’t imagine that this organisation would become so crucial for me. This was followed by several more training sessions and conferences organized by the British Council, among them, were: 11th National Conference of the English Teachers ’Association of Georgia 'Project Based Learning', 'English for Engagement and Employability' and 'Teaching English Skills – Dialogue, Debating and Negotiating'. My students also took part in the ‘I have a dream’ competition and one of them even took the second place.
For me, one of the most useful activities was the ‘Change Agents’ training course’ where I’ve conducted training sessions for other teachers for three months. This programme was quite challenging for me, but in the end very rewarding.
Now, I can proudly say that I’m a part of another British Council programme – Learning Hubs. I know that through this programme, I will develop my professional skills even further.
Tinatin Burtikashvili, Tsalka Community Centre
British Council in Georgia is an international organization which engages with the local English teachers and supports their continued professional development. One of the areas they focus on is helping young students in remote parts of the country to learn English.
I have always been an enthusiastic teacher and British Council enabled me to develop my teaching skills by organising different training courses, Teacher Activity Group sessions and providing me with a chance to conduct training courses for local English teachers.
Projects 'English for Engagement and Employability' and 'Learning Hubs for Stronger Society' motivate me to work harder and improve my teaching skills day after day. British Council teaching materials and activities keep my young learners and me, inspired and motivate me to plan every single lesson according to the students' interests and have fun.
