What is your name and job title?
Shanel Ali, Learning Technology Manager.
How long have you been working at WSE?
I’ve been working at WSE since 2005.
What is the Self Access Centre and when is it available?
The SAC- as we call it here- is a quiet room with computers and a huge library for students to use in their free time for self-study. I’m there from 1.30 – 4.30 every day to help students with their studying: we create self-study plans that suit their needs; I help them choose interesting and useful materials; I give advice on how to and how not to study and answer any other queries regarding their self-studies.
What do students think of the SAC?
I know that those students who use the SAC regularly find it very useful and rewarding, both in terms of the progress they make and the satisfaction gained after understanding a grammar point which has been a problem for years. They love having the space and time to learn and study English at their own pace, using materials that they have chosen themselves with my help. Some students prefer the audio books and some prefer the computer programmes, such as Macmillan English Campus, but everyone finds something relevant to them.
How does the SAC help students?
Not only does the SAC help students become successful independent learners, it helps students address their worries and concerns about their English studies and overcome any weaknesses or fears they may have. It really encourages them to become more confident users of English and much more successful in their exams. Coming to the SAC may require some self-discipline and motivation and those students who think that they don’t have these qualities can develop them with my help. They can then receive a Self-study Certificate to take home with them to show their parents, schools, universities or employers how much extra effort they have put in.
TOP 5 Rs to study in the SAC
1. READ- borrow a book every week or read on Macmillan English Campus and answer comprehension questions
2. REVISE- do a 30 minute exercise on the computer to practise language you have studied in class
3. RECORD- when doing exercises, write down new vocabulary-collocations- in your notebook in an organised way
4. REVISIT- keep coming back to the SAC for different materials
5. RELAX- make sure that you are doing something you enjoy.
