Funcţionând ca şi Centru de Formare a Profesorilor de facto prin organizarea periodică a cursului IHC (International House Certificate) încă de la începuturile sale, precum şi a cursului ICHYLT (International House Certificate in Teaching Young Learners and Teenagers) din 2005, IHB se mândreşte să devină acum instituţie partener a Universităţii din Cambridge, prin oferirea cursului CELTA pentru profesorii de engleză ca limbă străină.   Ne alăturăm, astfel, unui grup de elită format din peste 300 de centre aflate în parteneriat cu Cambridge Assessment English în 70 de ţări din lume, şi devenim unul dintre cele 58 de Centre CELTA de Formare Profesională pe care International House World Organisation (IHWO) le are la nivel global şi unde 4000 de profesori urmează cursul CELTA în fiecare an.   Apartenenţa noastră la IHWO, reţeaua de 160 de centre de limbi străine din peste 50 de ţări, care a iniţiat în 1962 cursul de formare pentru profesori ce a pus bazele cursului CELTA, garantează calitatea de nivel mondial a formării profesionale pe care o oferim, iar trainerii noştri internaţionali experimentaţi sunt gata să vă echipeze cu abilităţile de predare profesionistă de care aveţi nevoie.   De-acum înainte, profesorii de engleză doritori să obţină prestigioasa calificare de recunoaştere internaţională vor putea să o facă înscriindu-se la cursul de 4 săptămâni şi 120 de ore în cadrul Centrului CELTA de Formare Profesională al IHB.   De-abia aşteptăm să vă formăm ca profesori!

Critical thinking in the workplace   Author: Ilinca Stroe   „Critical thinking” tends to become a buzzword in the fields of education and human resources: reforming voices from tertiary education maintain that in the 21st century education should include the methodical shaping of critical thinking during the last undergraduate year (through subject matters like logic, moral philosophy, research methods and tools, etc.), while in human resources critical thinking is considered one of the top abilities expected from an employee (according to a 2015 study carried out by the Victoria University of Wellington, for instance, critical thinking ranks 4 in the top 10 most searched-for attributes in the workplace).   But the term can sometimes be misunderstood. May it be related to being critical about actions or events and criticising the people around us? If that were so, who would want a workmate equipped with such relentless critical spirit? Their influence would probably end up being negative, overall, and creating an unpleasant atmosphere at work.   That’s not the case, though. To clarify the term, let us mention that critical thinking, although hard to measure, is defined as the intellectual skill which ensures a disciplined process of analysing, synthesising and evaluating information obtained through observation, experience, reflection or communication, in view of forming beliefs and setting a course of action. In fact, rather than a skill per se, critical thinking is an approach. When we think critically, we approach the subject in a certain way:   Ÿ we clarify the scope of our analysis of the subject (“What am I trying to get?”) Ÿ we formulate questions that are suitable for analysing the subject (“What questions do I have to answer to sort out this subject?”) Ÿ we identify the assumptions linked to the subject and we examine whether they are justified (“What evidence supports this statement?”) Ÿ we define our point of view or perspective upon the subject (“From what point of view am I approaching the subject?”) Ÿ we identify other points of view on the subject (“Are there any other perspectives worth considering?”) Ÿ we base our reasoning on data, information, evidence (“What experience or information supports this statement?”) Ÿ we identify and remove biases and mere assumptions (“What am I taking for granted?”) Ÿ we explain clearly the concepts and key points of the reasoning (“Can I explain this idea?”) Ÿ we outline the positive and negative implications and consequences of the reasoning (“If we accept this conclusion, what are the consequences?”)   We can easily imagine a meeting in any company, for example about repositioning on the market a product of the company, and following the kind of procedure detailed above. Taking an approach based on critical thinking, that meeting has every chance to be a success and result in solutions that are sound, solid, well thought out and relevant to the subject of the repositioning. And that’s because critical thinking ensures a rigorous, fair and comprehensive analysis of the subject.   Thus, the benefits of using critical thinking in the workplace are unanimously acknowledged by the specialised literature, and they include the possibility to generate multiple solutions or to make better decisions. To detail, let us mention that employees who apply critical thinking in the workplace have the ability to Ÿ challenge the status quo in a productive way Ÿ generate new ideas Ÿ uncover solutions which are not obvious Ÿ conduct more accurate self-assessment Ÿ support their viewpoint with arguments Ÿ explain well and clearly an idea Ÿ understand a different point of view Ÿ work well with various personality types Ÿ be fair Ÿ produce balanced reasoning Ÿ make sound decisions Ÿ avoid bias and manipulation   It is, then, easy to see how critical thinking can contribute to having efficient meetings, giving effective presentations, carrying out negotiations or consolidating a team. Hence, critical thinking is considered a soft skill which is vital for the organisation’s success, with long-term benefits in teambuilding, productivity and reducing conflict. Developing critical thinking among employees is considered important by 70% of the managers included in a study done by the American Management Association, and it can be achieved without using a lot of resources or special training: instead, it does take extra attention and awareness to apply it in everyday activities.   Sources: www.huffingtonpost.com www.criticalthinking.org www.business.com   Source: Revistacariere.ro  

An article in a recent issue of Cariere magazine (XV:250/September 2018, page 6) informs us that “at least 4 days a month Romanian employees work from outside their office”; almost 50% of them choose to work from home, while 20% prefer working from cafés or business lounges. The phenomenon is called “teleworking” (where the prefix “tele-“ indicates that the work is done at a distance by means of electronic communication), and appeared in the USA at the end of the ‘80s, gaining ground as telecommunications developed. Today in the world one in five employees teleworks frequently, with 10% doing it daily. The great benefit of teleworking is, from the employer’s side, first of all economic: there is a significant cutdown on costs related to the rental, equipment and maintenance of office spaces. And from the employee’s perspective the great benefit is the flexible and optimised timetable: no time is wasted on going to the office, and the hours allocated for work can be, in principle, at any time convenient to the teleworker. Still: the main risk implied by teleworking is that the teleworker feels “disconnected”, isolated, separated from the team. This is the reason why, in a study carried out by The Harvard Business Review last year, 52% of the 1,153 teleworkers interviewed think they are “left out” – which is, obviously, conducive to demotivation. Specifically, teleworkers end up feeling demotivated because of the following aspects:   communication with the team is faulty or insufficient, especially when it comes to clarifying details which normally require face-to-face discussion, the misunderstanding or even conflict arising from such communication being frustrating the direct informal contact with the co-workers is missing, along with the fast, “on-the-go” corrections or adjustments it enables, and the delays resulting from that lack generate a feeling of being “left behind” the connection to the office dynamics is faulty, which can cause teleworkers to overlook or miss promotion opportunities, hence the feeling of stagnation, of reaching a plateau or coming to a dead end   To prevent teleworkers from getting demotivated, the specialised magazines and sites put forward a set of behaviours and actions. Adopting them, the teleworker’s direct manager or the HR officer in charge of teleworkers can maintain the kind of trust, bond and feeling of a shared goal which are so needed to motivate employees. Here are some of the suggestions:   the manager has frequent direct contact (once a week/month) with the teleworker, either by face-to-face meetings or video calls, to maintain a feeling of belonging to the company culture as well as long-term commitment the manager asks about the teleworker’s workload and the status quo of their ongoing projects, listening attentively to what s/he is told and updating the teleworker about the office projects, so that the teleworker feels informed, involved and kept in the loop the manager is familiar with several means of telecommunication (phone, email, video calling, Skype, Slack, WhatsApp, etc.) and uses the one favoured by the teleworker, being  available, whenever possible, during the time slots convenient to the teleworker the manager inquires about the working space and conditions of the teleworker, making available for them the necessary means to optimise their working space (for instance, by purchasing ergonomic chairs or re/decorating the place, etc.) the manager socialises with the teleworker, asking them about life outside the office, their family or hobbies, to strengthen his/her personal relationship of camaraderie with the teleworker and make them feel important for the team and the company   No matter how laborious or delicate it can be, given that each teleworker has her/his own profile and can consequently feel motivated by other factors than others, the task of finding the key to motivating a teleworker is worth every effort. And that’s because, as Forbes magazine and other sources assure us, teleworking is the way to work in the 21st century.

1. RIGHTS ON TRADENAME AND WEBSITE CONTENT The website phpstack-557497-1818066.cloudwaysapps.com is the property of IHB Language Training Center SRL, registered at the Bucharest Trade Register under no. J 40/11822/2002 and Fiscal Identification Code: RO 150 26 564. Correspondence address: 93-95 Lânăriei St., T-Center, floor 1, district 4, Bucharest. The contents and design of phpstack-557497-1818066.cloudwaysapps.com are the property IHB Language Training Center SRL and are protected by the Romanian legislation in force on intellectual property and other derived rights. In case you consider that a certain contents of the website phpstack-557497-1818066.cloudwaysapps.com breaches your rights of intellectual property or any other personal rights, we kindly ask you to notify us at receptie@ih.ro in order to investigate this issue and in compliance with the legislation in force. 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When referring to personal data we mean information that include your and your children’ name and surname, age, address, telephone numbers and email addresses, but preferences and details on hobbies and interests may be included also. We assure you that these types of data will be collected only if you provide them willingly, by own will and unequivocally, for instance, via a form for requesting information. In these cases, we will use your data for answering your requests or questions. Data provision for receiving publicity messages is optional, and the refusal regarding the provision of these data does not hinder you from benefiting from the IH services. At the same time, at International House Bucharest, we do not only teach English, but we build strong partnerships for your education, and the last 15 years prove that only through ongoing dialogue and a close communication relationship we can achieve the best results together. International House Bucharest complies with the provisions of 2016/679/UE Regulation, including starting the certification of the security system according to the provisions of ISO/IEC 27001. The standard is based on the following principles which define information security: information confidentiality, integrity and availability. Addressing this standard ensures long-term security based on the implementation of security policies, procedures and methods aiming at protecting the information and resources of organisations. By reducing the risks to the full, there is a guarantee that the management system is functional and meets the operational requirements of the company, customers’ expectations and the legislation in force. As part of our activity, we manage the security of our services, data and processes in ISMS (Information Security Management System), which is evaluated by a series of audits throughout the year. 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For more than 15 years, International House Bucharest offers high quality services to its partners and is famous for the English courses it provides. The awards received along the years have proved that the motto “Happy Learners are Effective Learners” stands for a measurable reality, and the 11 excellence points out of 12, received after the last Eaquals inspection increase the trust level and the dedication of its partners in carrying on the cooperation with number 1 centre for language teaching in Romania. International House Bucharest is member of the most rigorous European association that supervises the standards for teaching foreign languages: European Association for Quality Language Services – EAQUALS. During the last inspection commonly carried out jointly by quality inspectors from IHWO London and EAQUALS (in March 2018), all the international standards for a foreign language centre have been checked: During a 4-days very strict inspection, the EAQUALS inspectors have monitored 49 specific quality standards, grouped under 12 chapters: Teaching Academic Management – Curriculum and Syllabus Academic Management – Progress Assessment and Certification Academic Management – Quality Assurance Academic Resources Other Services to Course Participants Staff Contracts, Terms and Conditions Qualifications, Experience and Training Communications Information Premises Management and Administration   All teachers have been observed in the teaching process, at all levels and for all types of courses under implementation at that time (Business English, English for kids, Romanian for foreigners, etc.), all IH employees have been interviewed and all the working procedures have been analysed thoroughly and according to the latest developments in the area   11 excellence points out of maximum 12 possible! FINDINGS THE QUALITY INSPECTION by EAQUALS UK:   “International House Bucharest Language Training Center was inspected by Eaquals in 2018 and met the high standards required for Eaquals accreditation. The teaching, the course programmes, as well as the course organisation, the learning resources, testing and evaluation were all judged to be of high quality. It was found that the institution takes great care to protect the welfare of its clients and staff, and all publicity materials produced by the institution are accurate and truthful. The Inspectors identified points of excellence in the following categories:: Management and Administration Course Design and Supporting Systems Assessment and Certification Academic Resources Learning Environment Client Services Quality Assurance Staff Profile and Development Staff Employment Terms Internal Communications External Communications”   Congratulations to the entire team of International House Bucharest! We thank all our collaborators who enter daily our premises for learning with us! Every day, we learn together to be better! Eaquals Verdict letter – IH Bucharest 2018