Tell us a bit about you.
Mariano Alvarez, AACI Lamos: I’m Mariano and I have been teaching English since 1999. I have been working in AACI since 2000.
Mariel Lavaggi, AACI Caballito: I am a teacher of English as a foreign language and a Literature professor. I have been working at AACI since 1990, teaching different levels of kids, teens and adults.
Maria Eugenia De Tomasi, AACI Caballito: My name is Eugenia De Tomasi, I am from Buenos Aires and I have been a teacher of English for 12 years.
Mirta Ferrante, AACI Barracas: My name is Mirta Ferrante and I’m a graduate teacher from Instituto Superior en Lenguas Vivas “Juan Ramon Fernandez”. I’ve been working for AACI since April 2005 as a teacher at different levels and I’ve recently joined a project called “Plan Ceibal”. AACI has also given me the opportunity to become a SE for YLE, KET and PET Cambridge Examinations.
Mariela Masuyama, AACI Barracas: I’ve been teaching English at AACI for the last seven years. I’ve delivered general English courses for children, teens and adults, business English lessons in companies, conversation courses, and quite recently I’ve started giving remote lessons through videoconference as well.
Tell us a bit about your institution.
Mariano: AACI is an institute of English language and culture which provides courses for different levels and ages, and prepares students for international examinations, especially Cambridge examinations.
Mariela: AACI has a long standing reputation as one of the leading institutions in the field of ELT and also offers several programmes and activities that are connected to English culture. In the last few years AACI has taken a noticeable interest in incorporating the latest technology and training its teachers to assimilate it into their courses.
How long have you been using Macmillan English Campus, and how do you use it?
Mariano: I have been using the Campus since 2010, when AACI incorporated it to its syllabus and different courses. We use it in class with the IWB and notebooks, making use of the different types of activities and games that it offers.
Eugenia: I have been using Macmillan English Campus for three years, mainly with First Certificate in English (FCE) courses. I first demonstrate its use in class, so as to involve all the class in the work proposed by the Campus and show them its many features. Then I assign exercises using the internal messages on the platform, according to the progress of the course. Generally, I assign work on the Campus as homework, whether it is to foster independent work and responsibility for the students’ own learning, or to provide extra practice on target structures or vocabulary that the students may need.
Mirta: I’ve been using the English Campus since 2010. My students use it at home and I sometimes use it in class as a warm up or as extra practice.
Mariela: I have used the Campus for three years in class with my general English courses and encouraged the students to use it autonomously for homework and further practice. I have also used it occasionally to communicate with my students and other teachers via messaging.
How has Macmillan English Campus helped your institution, your teachers and your students?
Mariano: The Campus has helped AACI and its courses by making the classes more dynamic and providing a very wide range of extra resources for students to practise at home and in the classroom. There are lots of materials available in the platform that students and teachers can use. I particularly remember a remarkable improvement in the performance of CAE students thanks to the English Campus’ practice exercises.
I remember a remarkable improvement in the performance of CAE students thanks to the English Campus’ practice exercises.
Mariel: It has helped our institution to stay up-to-date by offering students the possibility to have further practice and study 24/7, and incorporating new technology into our courses.It has helped us teachers by offering us loads of online material to use in class or to assign as homework.
Eugenia: I believe the Campus has been absolutely beneficial to my institution, since it has differentiated us from other language schools in that we give our students the chance to work with blended learning as an integral part of their course. With regard to the teachers, I think that they have been given not only a vast number of resources to complement their lessons with which suit the learning styles and interests of most of the students, but also in many cases it has opened their minds to ICTs and a new way of teaching. Finally, the students have been the ones who have benefited the most since they now have at their disposal a variety of materials to practise with and the advantage of receiving instant feedback.
What’s your favourite thing about Macmillan English Campus?
Mariel: My favourite thing is that the English Campus provides me with extra material to plan my lessons and for further practice. I love the games and the vocabulary and grammar exercises.
What I love about the English Campus is that I don’t have to spend hours preparing my own activities.
Eugenia: My favourite thing about the Campus is that it is, at the same time, a space where students can be free to choose the materials they need or they are particularly interested in, as well as a valuable tool for teachers to further involve them in the learning process and help them become the best they can be.
Mirta: What I love about the English Campus is that I don’t have to spend hours preparing my own activities because it provides me with hundreds of activities carefully graded. I can also follow my students’ progress and give them instant marking.
Mariela: I find it very user friendly, so it’s easy for both teachers and students to use it at ease, regardless of their tech skills.