Donald comes from Edinburgh. He is a Cambridge University CELTA qualified EFL teacher who has worked in the UK, Spain and Italy with learners of all ages over the last 5 years. He has a personable and professional teaching style that engages his learners with interactive lessons. Previously he has taught adults Business English in Barcelona and exam focused course for teenagers in Sicily. Most recently, he has been working as a primary school teacher in Glasgow with 8 year olds. As Donald is an Edinburgh man, he can give groups insightful and genuine accounts of Scottish life and language. When Donald is not teaching, he likes playing music in bands and performing stand up comedy.
Facilitator: Donald Steven
Minimum age: 10 – 17
Level: Elementary / Pre-intermediate / Intermediate
Time: 60 min.
* On demand contents, level and timing can be tailored to groups? needs.
Scottish English, or Is your cat deid?
An interactive workshop for learners to understand some of the differences between the Queen?s English and Scottish English. This workshop will involve engaging with film clips, learning and practising new vocabulary and working in small groups to try out Scottish slang. A lot of people in Scotland say ?aye? instead of ?yes? but there are much larger differences than that. An old saying that my Scottish granny was fond of was ?Whit?s fur ye, will no go by ye?. This translates directly as ?What is for you, will not go by you? or in other words ?what is meant to happen will happen?. Other interesting phrases that we will learn include ?Keep your heid!? and ?Is your cat deid?? These phrases are used in Scots and we can look at what they mean and when and how to use them correctly.
Facilitator: Donald Steven
Minimum age: 10 – 17
Level: Elementary / Pre-intermediate / Intermediate
Time: 60 min.
* On demand contents, level and timing can be tailored to groups? needs.
Traditional and Modern Scotland
A workshop to understand all things Scottish! This interactive workshop will examine the sterotypes of Scotland and determine how accurate they are. There is a big rivalry between the two main cities, Edinburgh and Glasgow. Glaswegians are known to be friendlier than the colder Edinburghers but is this true or just an old stereotype? Learners will engage with each other and learn about Scottish culture. Do people in Scotland really eat haggis and does Ceilidh dancing still happen in modern Scotland? Are their kilts and bagpipes everywhere or is that just for the tourists? Also, modern Scotland is at a fascinating point with new debates about nationality, independence and whether or not Scotland can stay in the E.U. Learners will examine the modern sense of Scotland and the view that Scotland and England seem to be after different things when it comes to their relationships with the rest of the European continent.