Robin Callan
Robin Keith Terrence Callan | |
|---|---|
| Add a Photo | |
| Born | October 3, 1932 |
| Nationality | English |
| Citizenship | England |
Robin Keith Terrence Callan (3 October 1932 – 11 April 2014) was the creator of the Callan Method, a method of teaching English and Spanish that is used in language schools in more than 35 countries.
Early life
Callan grew up in Ely, Cambridgeshire, England and in his early twenties went to teach English in Salerno, Italy. He found the teaching materials available at the time to be inefficient and boring, and he became interested in improving the way the language was taught. Whilst still in Italy he started to write his own books which he used successfully in his classes and, over the following ten years, gained practical experience and a reputation for teaching English quickly and effectively.
When he returned to England in the 1970s, he opened a school in Oxford Street, London. As the Callan Method became more popular, the school grew and moved to larger premises. Robin continued to write and further develop the Callan Method, and today it is used by hundreds of Callan Accredited schools in many countries across the world to teach both English and Spanish.
Philanthropy
In 1989 Robin Callan bought Orchard House in Grantchester, on the outskirts of Cambridge, England and made this his home. The property was famous as a former residence of the young poet Rupert Brooke and adjacent to The Orchard (tea room) with its long-established Tea House. Three years later, Callan purchased the Orchard to prevent its being developed for housing. Of the Tea House he stated "It must not be touched. It is a shrine to intellect"[1]. The Tea Gardens had been frequented by famous figures throughout the 20th century and he was determined to preserve almost 100 years of tradition, stating: "I do not seek to make a profit, I only seek not to make a loss"[1].
Callan also co-founded the Rupert Brooke Society with TV personality Mike Read and together they created the Rupert Brooke Museum within The Orchard grounds.
References
External links
This article "Robin Callan" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical. Articles taken from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be accessed on Wikipedia's Draft Namespace.