Frequently asked questions

I know Steve and Maggie from YouTube. I use their videos to spice up lessons. Do Steve and Maggie have anything else that would help make English lessons a great experience?

• Absolutely! Video materials are only one part of the comprehensive range of Wow!English materials that have been specially developed to focus on teaching English to children aged between 3 and 11 years.

• If you want to teach English at school in a way that is entertaining and effective at the same time, choose Wow!English.

What sort of Wow! materials are there and what will I find there?

• Wow! materials consist of 8 complete series of materials and methodologies for teaching English to children aged between 3 and 11 years: 3 colours (levels) for pre-school children and 5 colours (levels) for the first five years of primary school. They include materials such as a Workbook, a Class Book (online), and a Teacher’s Book, interactive video materials (video songs and video stories), and other materials involving Steve, a native speaker of English and teacher.

Are Wow! materials complete teaching materials in themselves or are they just extra material to use in class?

• Wow! materials are complete teaching materials that are used in hundreds of schools in more than 25 countries of the world.

• They are extremely flexible, meaning that each and every teacher can adapt them to suit their own needs and those of their class.

What is the Wow! method of teaching based on?

• The Wow! method and the teachers that use it make use of the natural curiosity and playfulness in children. We draw on the findings of psycholinguists and developmental psychologists, that all healthy humans are “programmed” to learn how to communicate through speech. It is thanks to this ability, for example, that we learn how to communicate in our mother tongue. Young children simply learn language in the most natural way by imitating and continual repetition (drilling). They see all language in context, as a natural tool of understanding the world around them.

• We therefore base teaching on the natural need to communicate and have fun. Lessons are carefully planned, the order and type of activities are chosen so as to entertain the children and keep their attention, whilst at the same time sticking to the rules of learning and its objectives. 

Are they really as effective as you say? Is it not just playing?

• The very fact that the children play means that they learn in a natural way. They need to communicate when they play. They grasp English in the same way as they did their mother tongue. Through repetition, playing, exposure to the target language. It is essentially “learning through play” in practice.

Is it a good idea to teach English to children that are so young? Is it not a bit unnecessary to expose children to another language when they still haven’t properly mastered their own native language?

• Psycholinguistic research has shown that if you use the right methodological approaches on young, healthy children (from birth up to the age of around 10), they are able to naturally learn several languages at the same time - they create several language centres and are able to “switch” between them. They learn a foreign language in the same natural and painless way as they learned their mother tongue (by playing, imitating, repeating, and in situational context). They can then follow this up and develop it from the age of around 10 with systematic understanding.

• After all, children draw on the momentary need to communicate and learn language naturally in a specific situation - they do not think about the language system itself; that comes later.

Will I know how to work with the materials?

• You certainly will. We have a training website for teachers (Wow!Academy), where we have videos to teach you how to work with Wow! materials in the right way. You will also find plenty of additional material at the Wow!Academy that will always come in handy. Or if you need, we can arrange individual online training with our methodologists.

What materials do I get as a teacher?

• The full teacher’s pack includes a Workbook, interactive video materials, a Teacher’s Book with individual lesson plans for the whole school year, a GameBank with a list of games and activities, a Teaching Manual with a detailed description of the Wow! methodology, Songs for Teachers, a Class Book, flashcards, a Maggie glove puppet, additional materials such as tests, keys to exercises, photocopiable materials, black-and-white versions of flashcards, memory games, postcards, and much more.

Can I buy a Teacher’s Pack and use it as extra material in my lessons?

• Unfortunately, you cannot buy a Teacher’s Pack on its own. The method is based on repeated exposure to the target language (by watching videos, to which all your pupils must have access). That is why each and every pupil needs to have his/her own Child’s Pack (consisting of a workbook and interactive video materials). 

Are the materials expensive?

• No, they are not. When you consider the price, the quality and the quantity of material that you get, Wow! materials really are not expensive. The children get a Workbook and access to a website with interactive video materials. If you want a change for the better and want to offer your pupils high-quality, effective teaching, and you explain to their parents that they are contributing towards their children’s education, they will be happy to order the materials. 

• The price of materials depends on the type of institution and the number of Child’s Packs ordered. We will be happy to prepare a quote for you. Simply get in touch - CONTACT

I have never seen Wow! materials in any bookshops. How can I order them for my school?

• You are absolutely right: you won’t find Wow!English in the shops, and there are many reasons for that. To make sure that the Wow! methodology is used properly, all teachers undergo training, which they can return to at any time. We also prefer to take a personal approach to our clients, who we are in contact with and always available to, whether it be our sales, distribution or methodology departments.

• We supply materials to institutions (language schools, primary schools, kindergartens) subject to an order placed by the teacher/director. If you are interested in Wow! materials, write to us - CONTACT

Is Wow!English designed for big groups?

• Wow! materials are unbelievably flexible. They can be used with small groups and with a whole class alike. All the teacher has to do is adjust the lesson plan according to his/her needs. If, for whatever reason, the recommended game or activity does not work for him/her, he/she can simply replace it with a different one. There is a huge list of games to choose from in our GameBank. Videos and songs are popular with any group, big or small. 

Is it not a bit too childish for older pupils (primary 3 through 5)?

• Each of the colours in Wow!English meets the requirements that are specific to the given age. In the series for kindergartens (Wow!Yellow, Wow!Blue, Wow!Red), the themes and tasks in the Workbook match the age and psychomotor abilities/possibilities of the pupils. The same applies to the series for younger school children (Wow!Green and Wow!Orange), when the pupils are also gradually acquainted with the written form of English.

• The series for older pupils (Wow!Bronze, Wow!Silver, Wow!Gold) combine the main theme of outer space and Steve’s new friend, Bob the alien. The fact that the Workbook is so colourful and the interesting exercises make sure that attention is maintained and that there is motivation to work.

Are Wow! materials suitable for pupils with special learning needs too?

• Yes, they are. The Wow! method has helped children with special learning needs become part of a group. They relax during games, making it easier to then concentrate on working with the Workbook. The method of communication helps them express themselves. The fact that it is a communicative method motivates the children to communicate, overcome the barriers to other pupils, blur the differences between pupils, and achieve better results in the group.

It looks like quite a lively method. Do the children not get too rowdy?

• The Wow! method is based on the natural curiosity of children, learning through playing, trying something new, and repetition.  You, as the teacher, lead the lesson based on your training (i.e., you stick to the principles of the Wow! Method) and your teaching experience. You are the guide through the world of English that Steve introduces to you. If you are a more active type yourself, you can join in the activities and games more. If you are a bit calmer in nature, teach the children the activities according to the rules and they can play under your supervision. If you are good at music, add more singing to your lessons (an audio version of the songs is available, of course). If you like theatre, act out more scenes. With flexible Wow! materials, you really can fine-tune lessons to suit your needs.

• The children won’t go wild under your teaching supervision. By sticking to the principles of the Wow! Method you will be able to keep their attention for longer and release built-up energy in games, allowing them to better concentrate on calmer activities such as using the Workbook.

If Steve is there on each page and in every video, won’t it simply be “too much Steve”?

• If you choose the materials in such a way that you entertain your pupils, there will never be too much SteveJ . Children love Steve and like putting him on at home, for homework AND just for fun.