i‑Learner Education Centre

Teachers

Iain MacDonald

Iain MacDonald

Helping children learn and grow is a powerful thing. Seeing wonder in their eyes is especially warming when they are starting to understand something new about the world.

Iain MacDonald graduated from the University of Manchester with a BEng in Chemical Engineering. He then moved to Hong Kong to pursue a career in teaching. Iain has a passion for outdoor pursuits and brings energy and fun to all of his English classes at i-Learner.

Qualifications

  • BEng (Chemical Engineering) University of Manchester
  • PG (Chemical Engineering) University of Manchester

Articles

The Importance of Sleep for Learning

Did you know the longest anyone has ever stayed awake for was 453 hours? That’s almost 19 days! It was achieved by Robert McDonald in 1986. It’s definitely not recommended though. Children should aim to get about 8-12 hours of sleep per night. If we stay up later, we start to notice our mental capacity is reduced almost immediately. We can no longer focus on… Read More

Sources of Good Listening Materials

When you’re learning a language, one of the hardest skills to acquire can be good listening skills. Being able to listen, decode and understand a language spoken at a natural pace can be extremely challenging. For this reason, having a good supply of interesting, clear, and easy to understand things to listen to is a great help. Here are some great places to find listening… Read More

STEM Resources to Explore at Home

Just like my students, I once had to study for my exams. Some people learn well by repetition and memorising. Unfortunately, I’m not one of them. For me to be able to answer questions on a topic, I have to experiment until I fully understand it. There are lots of learners like me, who do better by learning a subject deeply rather than quickly. Read More

How to Structure Revision Time

Preparing for exams should not be a last-minute rush of activity. If you think of it like self-organised homework, this helps you be more productive, get better grades, and feel less stressed. I often help my students prepare for their exams, and it’s always the ones who are organised and structured in their preparation who do best. During my own studies, I learned several useful… Read More