About The English Chat Cafe

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Hello, I´m Fatima Zaman, a British C.E.L.T.A.* qualified English teacher and former British Council instructor.   I am also an award winning graduate and hold an Honours Degree in Business and Modern Languages. 

I am passionate about teaching English as a Foreign Language online, and for the past 12 years, I have successfully trained and prepared over 1000 students to speak the Queen´s English, pass Cambridge English Exams, and gain entrance to Masters and PhD Programmes. (*Cambridge University endorsed certificate). 

My students have included high school, undergraduates, postgraduates, postdoctoral research students, and academics in the fields of Science, Economics, Architecture, Teaching, the Armed Forces and Sports Professionals.

All my classes are interactive and have been adapted for online teaching via Zoom. I place more emphasis than usual on listening and speaking skills, and apply an alternative communicative method whilst teaching; based on the belief that ALL students are multi-dimensional and capable of adapting to multi-disciplinary learning methods. I firmly believe that the study of material should not only develop the individual´s cognitive competences, but allow him/her to gain both intellectually and spiritually.

I opened the first English Chat Café Academy in Spain; it was a physical school resembling that of a café. The provision of the latter facilitated my students to learn naturally - in an authentic real environment. 

Now immersed in the digital economy, I have fully embraced this virtual revolution, adapting the teaching methodology and English classes online to bring you The English Chat Café Online Academy - students still learn naturally, with the occasional cup of tea and biscuits on the way! 

I have helped my students to become better speakers of English. Using the communicative method, I empower my students of different learning capabilities, so that they are able to interact in English, and make an impact, whilst enhancing their career prospects. This has enabled them to live and work in the language with greater ease, and confidence.  

With a student-centred approach, I recreate real-life situations for the students, in which they are able to put the theory into practice; I assist them in the following ways:-

1. To learn how to SPEAK English, in order to maintain a  conversation.

2.  To apply the correct reading, writing, listening and speaking techniques required, in order to pass their Cambridge exams with flying colours!

3. To build their confidence whilst maintaining an English Conversation.

4. To perfect their English pronunciation, whilst enhancing their      accents.

In order to achieve the above, the syllabuses engage in models that integrate the core skills with an intense, but subtle focus on specific areas of language development.

I have observed that my students´ development is most profound when instruction combines the skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing. Students thus become witnesses to the possibilities of expression in language and they have the opportunity to practise new skills in a real-life situation, whilst they become independent learners.

My students´ success is my priority, I become very proud when I see their progress, and hear them using the language I taught them; knowing that they passed their Cambridge exams, employment interviews, and have flourished in their careers,  is a very rewarding experience -  a win-win situation. 

Many of my students have stayed in contact with me, and have become great friends. Apart from their excelling in the English language, I am on a mission to use the teaching of the English language as an instrument to leverage cultural tolerance - through intercultural dialogue in the classes. 

There is so much more involved in learning a language, as it is an open door to a different culture, a new ideology and an alternative lifestyle. 

Meeting people from different cultures and exchanging opinions is a lifetime soft skill, which can be transferred to any given scenario, cultivating a deeper understanding of our global village - as minds are opened and stereotypes dismissed. 

The European Union recognised my approach to teaching, and granted  two recognitions to the academy for promoting: Intercultural Dialogue and Creativity and Innovation.

The above illustrates the distinctive features of the teaching methodology that I use, and its practical approach; that has converted the teaching and learning of the English language into a social, cultural and ideological experience.