WASHINGTON ENGLISH ANNOUNCES OPEN REGISTRATION FOR SPRING TERM.

 Community   Tue, April 14, 2020 12:47 PM

Washington, DC - WEC is pleased to continue our mission of improving the lives of immigrants through education, albeit using virtual methods. Registration is now open for a Spring Term that starts on April 20th.

Instruction will be delivered electronically using Google Hangouts. Each student will be paired with a WEC volunteer teacher. The pair will meet weekly for 10 weeks. The course offerings are a one-hour Conversation session, a one-hour Writing session, or a combination of the two.

Students who are interested in enrolling for the Spring Term should begin the registration process here.

Volunteers who are interested in teaching for the Spring Term should begin the registration process here.

Spring 2020 FAQs

What is a conversation tutor? How will it help me improve my English?

A conversation tutor is a teacher who works one-on-one with you to help you improve your English. Because you are the only student, you can practice speaking a lot. And you practice listening to a proficient English speaker. You get better at having conversations in English. Also, your tutor will listen to your grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation and then help you with the things that you need to practice the most. You talk about what you are interested in and you learn about what you need.    

What is a writing tutor? How will it help me improve my English?

A writing tutor is a teacher who works one-on-one with you to help you improve your English. Because you are the only student, you can practice writing a lot. And you practice reading the writing of a proficient English writer. You get better at reading and writing in English. Also, your tutor will look at your writing and then help you with the grammar and vocabulary you need to practice the most. You write about what you are interested in and you learn about what you need.  

How will we know what to discuss or write about? Will we have a book?

Your tutor will help you find topics to talk or write about that are important and interesting to you. You will not have a book because what you learn is specific to you. If you have questions, your tutor will teach you the answers. If you make mistakes, your tutor will teach you the corrections. If you want help with the past tense, your tutor will explain the rules. If you want to learn doctor visit vocabulary, your tutor will help you with that.

 How many times per week will I meet with my tutor? 

You will meet once a week for ten weeks (week of April 20 through the week of June 22).

Will my tutor be available to me when we’re not in class?

Writing tutors commit to one email exchange with their student each week.

Conversation tutors commit to one, one-hour meeting with their student each week.

Can I use my conversation hour to practice for IELTS, TOEFL or any other academic exams? 

WEC does not currently offer targeted IELTS or TOEFL-specific prep classes. However, working with your conversation tutor can help you improve your general speaking and listening skills, and pronunciation and grammar knowledge, which may help you on the TOEFL.

I have to use English at work. Can I forward my reports, memos or emails to my teacher for correction?

Your writing tutor has committed to one email exchange with you per week. You can choose for that exchange to focus on workplace writing. If you want more workplace support, WEC offers free employment services and job coaching for registered students. If you are interested in these services, you can contact Renee McKie at rmckie@washingtonenglish.org. 

Can I interact with other students to practice conversation when I’m not in class?

In week 2 of the term we are going to create Whatsapp groups to connect all interested students and tutors of the same English level. Through Whatsapp you can share text and video messages with your group, without SMS fees.

 This isn’t the right tutor for me. Can I request a change?

Yes. If, after two sessions you feel that your tutor is not right for you, you can contact Yaritza Abrego, yabrego@washingtonenglish.org to request a change.

 If I miss a class, can I make it up?   

Yes. Once you are matched with your conversation or writing tutor, you are responsible for communicating with them and for rescheduling any sessions you miss.

 I see that you have in person classes. Can I join one?

In alignment with recommendations from the CDC, Washington English Center is offering virtual classes only for the Spring 2020 term.  We welcome you to our in person lessons in the summer term. 

 I can’t finish all of my tutoring sessions. Can I get a refund? 

We understand that schedules can change and we offer a full refund to students who have participated in fewer than 2 tutoring sessions.  If you have attended 3 sessions or more, we will apply a partial credit to your account to be applied to our summer term.

I need to pause my lessons. Is that possible?

Unfortunately, it is not possible to pause your lessons.  Please refer to our refund policy.                               

 I have a friend who also wants to have a conversation partner tutor.  Can we share the same tutor and practice speaking together? 

We encourage you to work one-on-one with your conversation tutor, so that you can spend the most time speaking and receiving individualized corrections and feedback. However, if you have one friend you would like to work with, you can email Yaritza Abrego, yabrego@washingtonenglish.org, and request to be matched together.                                                                                                           

I’m a returning WEC student.  Can I continue working through the book that I have with my tutor?

WEC does not recommend going through the textbook page-by-page with your tutor during your session.The textbook is designed for classroom use, not one-on-one tutoring. The best use of your session time is talking or writing with your tutor.      
However, if you want to work on your textbook exercises independently, you can listen to the audio, and check your answers at these links: http://bit.ly/wecspassresources (Level 5 and Level 6 students), and http://bit.ly/wecsfuturesources (Intro, Level 1, 2, 3, and 4 students). Then, if you have questions about the answers to a textbook exercise, you can ask your tutor.

CONTACT:
202 387 2222 info@washingtonenglish.org