The Bridge - English Language Centre

The nominations for the Learning & Development Awards are now open!

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As proud recipients of the award for Best Soft Skills Corporate Education & Development Program in 2023, we encourage you to take a moment and nominate the individuals or organizations that stand out in education and training field. Let’s celebrate those who truly deserve recognition for their outstanding contributions.

Winning this award was more than just a moment of pride for us. It connected us with incredible, talented professionals, and the feedback we received from the jurors was invaluable. Their insightful questions challenged us to view our program from new perspectives and inspired us to continue refining what we do.

The opportunity to receive feedback from over twenty industry experts was a priceless learning experience. We highly recommend that you nominate the lecturers, coaches, or educational programs that you believe are making a real difference. Our education system thrives on innovation, and recognizing excellence helps inspire others to push boundaries and improve.
Knowing that our program was recognized as unique in our field has been incredibly motivating.

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Don’t miss the chance to shine a light on those who are making an impact. Nominate today!👇

https://www.ldawards.sk/nominacia

👉 University Lecturer Wanted!

The Department of English Language and Literature at the Faculty of Education, Comenius University in Bratislava, is seeking an English lecturer with native-like proficiency, starting on October 1, 2024. Interested candidates can apply at [email protected].

Please share this post or forward to anyone you think would be interested.

The Reboot Camp: a throwback

🌞

It has been our tradition during the summer to spend a week in the picturesque little village of Zaježová. Everyone who has ever been there can confirm that the place is somehow magical and the tranquility of the surrounding meadows and forests has a healing effect on the body and soul.

However, we were not just lying down and staring at the sun.

The participants had the opportunity to attend one of the courses for teachers:

👉 Coaching and mentoring with Mike Shreeve and Andrea Záhumenská

Or

👉 CLIL with Judit Fehér.

And both of the courses were an adventurous journey full of discussions, self-reflection, questions and answers, getting out of the comfort zone, brainstorming and exchanging ideas and experience.

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What’s more:

Early birds started their day with yoga.

Creative souls tried out felting, improvisation techniques and creative writing.

Curious souls learnt lots of interesting facts about beer during a tasting session.

All the group got to know the community life of Zaježová.

Everyone enjoyed yummy vegetarian meals and no one protested when delicious cakes were served.

And the smell of the freshly baked bread with a crispy crust was like a dream…

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Our Reboot Camp is about people. People who spent intensive days together. Who are curious, open and respectful.

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Thank you to those ones who made it happen again and contributed with their skills and knowledge:
Klaudia Bednárová
Andrea Záhumenská
Judit Fehér
Mike Shreeve
Radka Vajgelová
Alison Orton
Kamila Jančíková
Božica Šarić-Cvjetković

Thank you to the Education Centre in Zaježová for having us.

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Rebooting is a piece of cake.
With THE BRIDGE.

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PS:

❓ LESSONS LEARNT?

Let us pick one:
Sharing is caring.

🤔 Dear participants of this year and the previous years of our Reboot Camp, what were your LESSONS LEARNT?

Share in the comments below.

AUTHENTICITY IN OUR CLASSROOMS:
LAST CALL

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What does it mean to be an authentic teacher?

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We invite you to a 5-day face-to-face course that will definitely broaden your knowledge.

With: Mark Andrews
👉 Teacher, Trainer, Materials Writer

When?
🗓️ 19.08.-23.08.

Where?
📍 The Bridge, Bratislava

What about?
✔️ Principles of authentic teaching leadership
✔️ Building a more democratic classroom environment
✔️ Practical activities and guidelines for greater and authentic pupil engagement
✔️ Directions for working with authentic information from the media and online environments
✔️ Developing critical thinking
✔️ Using the “here and now” principle in regular classroom

Who for?
👉 Teachers of pupils aged 11+ looking to motivate and engage their learners in a more authentic way, as well as determined to teach them to communicate better with people from other cultures.

📌 Read more and register by clicking the link:

https://thebridge.sk/en/course/authenticity/

Questions?
👉 Radka Vajgelová
📲 +421 917 323 693
📩 [email protected]

Don’t miss this unique opportunity and learn how to be authentic in the classroom!

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Note:
All our teacher courses are eligible for Erasmus+ funding.

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Teacher development is a piece of cake.
With THE BRIDGE.

We do not aim to be the biggest language school, we aim to be the best one

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The Bridge celebrates 15 years and our director Klaudia Bednarova talked about the changes our language centre has gone through.

❓ Is it difficult to find good language teachers?

❓ Will AI replace humans in language classes?

❓ Why are coaching techniques useful in language teaching?

❓ Do you need goals when you are learning a foreign language?

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Read the full interview here:👇

https://thebridge.sk/en/we-do-not-aim-to-be-the-biggest-school-we-aim-to-be-the-best-one/

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English is a piece of cake.
With THE BRIDGE.

Have fun learning English!

✍️

In cooperation with ŠEVT papiernictvo, we have prepared an e-book with English crosswords, in which you can revise your vocabulary for various everyday situations like travelling, accomodation, shopping or holidays.

Click the link and get your copy!

https://thebridge.sk/en/e-book-english-crosswords/

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English is a piece of cake.
With THE BRIDGE.

E-book: English crosswords - The Bridge In cooperation with ŠEVT, we have prepared an e-book with English crosswords, in which you can revise vocabulary for various everyday situations. You can find topics like travelling, shopping, holidays, traffic or accomodation. Download our new e-book and have fun learning English.

Do you have 10 years of experience, or 1 year repeated 10 times?

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English is a piece of cake, we love to say at The Bridge.

But can we claim the same about designing a teacher development program?

❓ Is it easy to motivate teachers?

❓ Which aspects do you have to consider when creating an inspirational environment for them?

❓ How do you identify their specific needs?

❓ Why are coaching techniques a vital part of the program?

❓ Which were the biggest challenges you faced?

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Having won the prize for the best corporate educational program at the Learning & Development Awards this year, we asked Andrea Záhumenská, our Director of Studies, to answer these and other questions about our teacher development program.

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Read the full interview here:👇

https://thebridge.sk/en/teacher-development-in-a-changing-world/

And let us know in the comments which facts you found the most interesting or surprising.

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Professional development is a piece of cake.
With THE BRIDGE.

How to teach students who know (almost) everything?

🔮

Ben Gwillim has the answers. And we can reveal one of them:
Use authentic materials and get the students engaged.

🔮

Surely, you don’t need a crystal ball to find this out. But all the teachers who teach advanced students struggle sometimes with ideas.

Last week, Ben shared his experience with the participants of his teacher development course HOW TO TEACH ADVANCED STUDENTS.

They discussed, brainstormed, took notes, tried things out and collected a pile of ready-to-use materials.

🔮

Thank you, Ben, for providing excellent sessions. It was very nice to see the engagement and enthusiasm in the group during the entire course.

🔮

We have more teacher development courses for you. Two of them start in a few days.

Feel like rebooting?
👇

https://thebridge.sk/en/course/re-boot-camp-coaching-in-english-language-teaching/

Interested in CLIL?
👇

https://thebridge.sk/en/course/clil-in-the-context-of-global-education/

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Professional development is a piece of cake.
With THE BRIDGE.

DRAMA at The Bridge

🎭

Have you ever tried to listen to the very last letter of the sentence someone is saying because you need to start your sentence with exactly the same letter?

And have you ever tried to say something without actually saying a word?

🎭

Challenging? Last week, the participants of the teacher development course DRAMA AND IMPROVISATION were pushed out of their comfort zones.

The course was led by Peter Dyer, who has been an actor himself and whose enthusiasm and engagement are just contagious.

🎭

All the dramatic and improvisation techniques teach you not only to be creative and open-minded, but they also encourage empathy, collaboration and active listening.

And these are vital factors of HLT, humanizing language teaching.

🎭

Thank you, Peter, for providing excellent sessions and we look forward to more drama at The Bridge!

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Professional development is a piece of cake.
With THE BRIDGE.



PS:
We will try some activities during our bootcamp in Zajezova. You can still register here:👇

https://thebridge.sk/en/course/re-boot-camp-coaching-in-english-language-teaching/

🌟 WE ARE HIRING! 🌟
Join Our Team as a Teacher of English!

Are you passionate about education and thrive in a dynamic environment? We're on the lookout for a talented individual, ideally a NATIVE SLOVAK BASED IN BRATISLAVA, to join our team as a Teacher of English!

You will teach:
👉 online and offline
👉 public and corporate courses
👉 group and individual courses

We offer:
✔️ an international environment
✔️ support and opportunities to grow professionally and personally (CPD program, workshops, conferences)
✔️ a library with teaching resources
✔️ a guaranteed amount of classes
✔️ stability
✔️ teambuilding activities
✔️ location in the very heart of Bratislava

We require:
👍 a university degree
👍 motivation and enthusiasm
👍 excellent knowledge of English and Slovak

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To learn more and apply, click the link below or get in touch with our HR manager Anna Zozulia at [email protected].

👇

https://www.profesia.sk/praca/the-bridge-english-language-centre/O4858420?search_id=f1025f8f-3d65-4c30-83ca-eb3d05b3a60b

We look forward to meeting you soon!

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English is a piece of cake.
With THE BRIDGE.

🌞 Strive to thrive in summer

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Do you also believe that (self-)development is a journey that never ends?

That you can take it easy at times, but you never really stop?

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At The Bridge, we offer a course for coaches, managers and leaders, who work in an international environment and would like to improve their coaching techniques. It is an EMCC accredited course led by Mike Shreeve and Andrea Zahumenska, both very experienced and inspiring trainers.

The participants of the course need to practice what they learn to receive the certificate. They offer their knowledge and time completely FOR FREE.

Therefore WE ARE LOOKING FOR PEOPLE who:
🌱 would love to have meaningful discussions
🌱 appreciate receiving questions that enable change
🌱 are motivated to move forward in their life.

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Why should you become a COACHEE?

Giada:

“I had really positive interactions with the coaches: both of them were really professional and made me feel absolutely comfortable since the very beginning. I never once felt intimidated or judged, and it was made very clear that the content of our sessions was confidential.
I particularly appreciated the questioning techniques, because they allowed me to rethink my goals, and to look at things from a brand new perspective, which was incredibly useful. I also liked the fact that my coaches never told me what to do or gave me advice. Although this was a bit frustrating at first, I later understood the logic behind it: we are the only ones to know what can work in our life, so the coach's job is to lead us to that realisation.”

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If you think this is it, hit the button and register! You will find all the details on our website, just CLICK THE LINK BELOW.👇

https://thebridge.sk/en/being-a-coachee-whats-in-it-for-me/

PS:
The coaching sessions are in ENGLISH.

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English is a piece of cake.
So is personal growth.
With THE BRIDGE.

🚀 Upgrade your English in 2 weeks!

In our intensive F2F course, you will:
✔️ revise grammar rules, including the tenses, sentence structures and modal verbs
✔️ learn new phrases and enhance your vocabulary
✔️ listen to podcasts and watch videos
✔️ talk about various topics like work, culture or travelling
✔️ read newspaper articles or extracts from books
✔️ improve your fluency, pronunciation and speaking skills

Sounds interesting?

More info and registration here:
👇

https://thebridge.sk/kurz/anglictina-intenzivne-a2/

📍Hurry up, we start on 8 July!

Emma and Kamila are looking forward to meeting you in the course.

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English is a piece of cake.
With THE BRIDGE.

There is no friend as loyal as a book.
(Ernest Hemingway)

📚

We are finishing our book series with a recommendation by Judit Fehér.

📖👇

“Being a Hungarian, I decided to recommend a Hungarian novel which is available in many languages, English included. Being a teacher, I have chosen a book with and for children, also with messages for when they are adults. Being a citizen of this world, I wanted one that talks about universal experiences, values and struggles. Living in the present moment, I have decided that it should be a book that has something currently important in its focus; sadly, the currently relevant focus is armed conflict over a territory: war.
The Paul Street Boys by Ferenc Molnár is such a book. It is about two gangs of boys fighting for the sole use of a derelict piece of land where, they feel, they could freely hang out and play without any of the members of the other gang spoiling their game.
Perhaps The Paul Street Boys has been the most beloved book in Hungary for all generations since its first publication in 1907. In 2023, a song from a recent musical adaptation of the book became the anthem of teacher’s strikes and demonstrations for free and high quality education, teachers’ right for strike and for a pay rise.
With these boys, readers of the book live through a story that raises fundamental questions such as: How is owning a piece of land connected to freedom? What is patriotism and what is it good for? What is good leadership? Can and should one respect their enemy? What are heroism, sacrifice and betrayal? What are the laws of armed conflicts, and can a war be “civilised”? Is there such a thing as to win a war? Is it worth the sacrifice? Who benefits from it and who suffers the losses? Could there have been an alternative to war? How would the outcome be different then?”

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Reading is a piece of cake.
With THE BRIDGE.



📚

PS: Join our Summer Book Club.
More info here:👇

https://thebridge.sk/en/course/summer-book-club/

What’s up in the world?

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Do you like to talk?

Are you interested in the news?

Do you want to improve your vocabulary and speaking skills?

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If your answer is YES✔️ and YES✔️ and YES✔️…

… check out our summer course WHAT’S UP IN THE WORLD IN THE AFTERNOONS:👇

https://thebridge.sk/kurz/whats-up-in-the-world-in-the-afternoons/

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👉 Small group
👉 Twice per week
👉 Zoom

Do not hesitate too long and grab one of the last spots for you!

Start date:
🗓️ 3 July

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More info and registration:

🙋‍♀️ Katarína Mešková
💻 [email protected]
📲 +421 948 104 916

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English is a piece of cake.
With THE BRIDGE.

Also in the summer.

Our SUMMER CAMPS are an all-inclusive menu, prepared for your children by our fabulous teachers, including the following:

🌞 All-day program
🌞 Catering
🌞 Lots of fun
🌞 Experienced teachers
🌞 New friends
🌞 Interesting topics
🌞 Two spots in Bratislava
🌞 English, English, ENGLISH!

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Don’t hesitate to contact us if you want to grab one of the spots for your kid:

📩 [email protected]
📲 0948 104 916

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We start on 8 July!

More information and registration here:
👇

https://thebridge.sk/en/course/the-bridge-camp-daily-summer-camp-for-kids/

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English is a piece of cake.
With THE BRIDGE.

🤔 To read, or not to read?

All the bookworms would answer:
To read more!

📚

Obviously, we love books at The Bridge. We have our book series with recommendations from colleagues and friends. And reading is also an essential part of our courses.

📚

If you love to read and discuss about books, why don’t you join our SUMMER BOOK CLUB?

👉 from 29 July to 19 August
👉 Monday afternoons via Zoom
👉 from B1 level
👉 intensive conversation
👉 improvement of speaking skills and vocabulary
👉 personal feedback from the teacher
👉 cozy ambience of a small group

You say you don’t have time to read?

We hear you. That’s why:
👉 you will be reading extracts from fiction books appropriate for your level and
👉 you will have flexibility in terms of reading time.

Last but not least, Emma, the teacher in the course, is a passionate book lover, and you don’t want to miss a chance to talk about books with her!

📚
Do you need more information?

Click here:👇

https://thebridge.sk/kurz/letny-book-club/

Or contact us:

🙋‍♀️ Katarína Mešková
💻 [email protected]
📲 +421 948 104 916

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Summer Book Club is a piece of cake.
With THE BRIDGE.

The Bridge at the Scelt Forum

Our colleagues Emma Wyatt, Kamila Jancikova, Ondrej Koscik and Anna Zozulia travelled to Banská Bystrica last week to participate in the conference organised by Slovak Chamber of English Language Teachers.

All in the name of BALANCE, our little crew enjoyed both days, attending interesting lectures and workshops, and interacting with fellow teachers.

🌞

Emma had a workshop about CORE VALUES, in which participants discovered the values they feel give their life and work meaning, and discussed how they could make sure those core values continue to be in congruence with their day-to-day work.

Kamila had a workshop about CREATIVE WRITING, in which participants tried various forms of writing, including poetry and playing with words, and let their imagination fly high above the faculty building.

Ondrej was photographing all the sessions and approaching everyone with a big smile.

Anna was representing our school and giving information about our courses and programs.

🌞

Thank you, SCELT, for your effort and perfect organisation of the conference, and we look forward to the next year!

🌞

English is a piece of cake.
With THE BRIDGE.

If I… (to be born) a thousand years ago, I …

🤔 Can you complete the sentence? And can you complete it correctly?

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If you are not sure and would like to know more about:
👉 tenses
👉 modal verbs
👉 conditionals
👉 passive
👉 gerund and infinitive
👉 direct and indirect questions

… and your level of English is at least B2, then check out our Grammar Genius Course:
👇

https://thebridge.sk/kurz/grammar-genius/

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Do you think grammar is boring?

It’s a myth!

Grammar:
a) can be much fun &
b) doesn’t have to be stressful.

If you still make mistakes and would like to become more confident when you speak or write, our course is the right choice for you.

Duration:
🗓️ 1 July - 2 September
Mondays
Face to face or online

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Should you still have some questions, don’t hesitate to contact us:

🙋‍♀️ Katarína Mešková
💻 [email protected]
📲 +421 948 104 916

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Becoming a GRAMMAR GENIUS is a piece of cake.
With THE BRIDGE.

Here’s to books, the cheapest vacation you can buy.
(Charlaine Harris)

📚

Let’s go on a trip with our colleague Dasha Bayevskaya.

📖👇

“George R.R. Martin said “In today’s crowded fantasy market Robin Hobb’s books are like diamonds in a sea of zircons.” Her Realm of the Elderlings is made up of 16 books organized into 5 series. It is probably the most detailed world I’ve ever come across in books so far. This series is definitely for you if you like slow-paced character driven stories. There are politics, everyday stuff, real relationships, and fully fleshed-out, realistic characters as well as action, intrigue and magic.

The first series – The Farseer Trilogy – is set in Six Duchies and follows the story of Fitz, a royal bastard, from his childhood to teenage years, from his appearance in the royal palace to becoming a royal assassin. Through him you will meet many characters, some of whom you will adore and others you will hate with fiery passion.

The next series is The Liveship Traders. It will show you a completely different part of the world – Bingtown, Rain Wilds, Cursed Shores and neighboring states. You will meet a new set of characters, among whom are traders, pirates, politicians and, of course, ships that are actually alive (hence the name of the series).

The Tawny Man will reunite you with Fitz and bring you some closure after the first series as not every question is answered by the end of it.

Then you can travel to Rain Wilds in The Rain Wilds Chronicles and experience a new adventure with new characters there. You will get a good idea of what it can be at the end of Liveships but I’ll avoidspoilers here.

And lastly Fitz and the Fool Trilogy will wrap up all the stories started in different series.

Among the highlights of the books is Hobb’s writing style. Even though the books are long, they don’t seem to drag, events just flow from one into another and there were many evenings when I checked the time and was surprised by how long I was reading the story.

I hope you will enjoy these books if you decide to give them a chance.”

📚

Reading is a piece of cake.
With THE BRIDGE.

WHY SHOULD YOU LEARN ENGLISH DURING SUMMER?

Less stress…
More time…

🌞 Good vibes.

If you are lazy to study on your own, have a look at our summer menu.

No matter what level you are, this is what we have for you:

🏖️ individual & group courses

🏖️ face-to-face & online courses

🏖️ General English & Business English

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We also have courses of English for Specific Purposes, including:

🌞 Legal English

🌞 Preparation for a job interview

🌞 English for HR professionals

or

🌞 EMCC accredited Coaching Practioner Course.

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Click the link to find out more!
👇

https://thebridge.sk/en/courses/adults/

Should you need help with your decision, don’t hesitate to contact us:

🙋‍♀️ Katarína Mešková
💻 [email protected]
📲 +421 948 104 916

————

English is a piece of cake.
With THE BRIDGE.

Fiction reveals truths that reality obscures.
(Ralph Waldo Emerson)

📚

After a short break we are back with our book series.

Our colleague Tatiana Čičilla invites you to solve mysteries. Will you join her?

📖👇

"Want to read a detective story that combines mystery,family saga and intrigue? Stieg Larsson's masterpiece ´The girl with the Dragon tattoo’ uncovers the truth behind the unsolved mystery of Harriet Vanger. It's a thrilling Swedish crime story that makes me open the book again and again to follow the investigation of Mikael Blomkvist, an investigative journalist, and Lisbeth Salander, a computer specialist. Is Harriet Vanger dead,why has she disappeared or is she still alive? I will tell you later...:-)"

📚

Reading is a piece of cake.
With THE BRIDGE.



PS: From among the detective characters, which is your favourite one?

🌟 How to Be an Authentic Teacher in Our Classroom? 🌟

Join our 90-minute workshop with Mark Andrews to explore teacher authenticity and its profound impact on education. Discover techniques that help us/teachers be more genuine in the classroom, fostering stronger student relationships and enhancing student-centered learning.

Mark’s session aims to deepen humanistic principles and enrich the educational experience beyond language learning, promoting understanding and respect.

📅 Date: 19th June
🕓 Time: 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM
📍 Platform: ZOOM

Don't miss this opportunity, register now and join us in interesting discussion.

More info and registration: https://thebridge.sk/en/authenticity-in-our-classrooms/

OUR SUMMER COURSES FOR ADULTS

… include a refreshing variety of:

🏖️ Individual and group courses

🏖️ Face-to-face and online courses

🏖️ Courses for all levels

🏖️ Courses of General English and Business English

🏖️ Courses of English for Specific Purposes

———

👇

https://thebridge.sk/en/courses/adults/

If you click the link, you can find:

🌞 Conversations in the morning or in the afternoon

🌞 Book club

🌞 IELTS/CAE - preparations for the exam

🌞 Creative writing

🌞 Business English

🌞 Legal English

🌞 Preparation for a job interview

🌞 English for HR professionals

🌞 EMCC accredited Coaching Practioner Course

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Summer is a perfect opportunity to improve your English in the cozy ambience of our language school.

The offer is really big. Should you need help with your decision, don’t hesitate to contact us:

🙋‍♀️ Katarína Mešková
💻 [email protected]
📲 +421 948 104 916

————

English is a piece of cake.
With THE BRIDGE.

LITTLE ACTORS LAB

We invite all children aged 7 to 15 to our LITTLE ACTORS LAB!

🗓️ WHEN?
01 June 2024
10.00 -12.00

💻 WHERE?
The Bridge, Baštová 7, Bratislava

📌 WITH?
Luis Patrocinio

📒 WHAT ABOUT?
Plays, movement, vocabulary, imagination and curiosity

💶 COSTS?
18 €/1 child
32€/2 children
42€/3 children

This is the last workshop from a series of workshops for kids we prepared to show that English is definitely not just a boring subject.

English is fun, playful, creative and practical.

👉 Click the link and register today:

https://thebridge.sk/en/course/little-actors-lab/

English is a piece of cake.
With THE BRIDGE.