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Weekly Language Classes in San Diego, Orange County, Los Angeles and San Fernando Valley
Language Learning
Adult language learning requires small class sizes and
interaction to be effective. Many of the resources available to adults
involve large classes or self-study (where interaction is limited) or
excessively-priced language programs.
Instructors
Our team of instructors combines rich educational and linguistic
backgrounds and interests. All instructors are native speakers or speak
with native-level proficiency. They are carefully selected for
communicative skills, talent, and enthusiasm to share their language.
Our Program and Approach
Adults generally learn language better when they can use their
understanding of their native language and logic and reasoning
capabilities to greatly aid the process of leaning an additional
language. Most adults are practical learners, learning based on
usability and objectives rather than based on theories or purely
academic pursuits. They tend to show the most progress when presented
with a practical combination of reading, writing, listening and
speaking, a practical mix of English and the language being learned and
a focus on useful aspects of the language that they can use from the
very start.
Additionally, language learning is much more effective in small
groups. It is extremely important when
learning a language that the student speak and receive appropriate
guidance. For this reason, it's not practical for one language
instructor to effectively help a class of thirty students.
Using our approach, adults learn language
quickly through interaction in small-group classes.
Learning a Foreign Language - It's Not Easy, or Is It?
Whether "learning" a foreign language is easy or not depends on your objectives.
Ordering food in a restaurant and handling basic introductions can be learned without too much difficulty.
Achieving true fluency requires substantially more time.
The idea of a person who learns a foreign language fluently in almost no time with no effort is largely a myth.
It generally takes time and practice, but the process can be a fun and rewarding experience.
Schools of Thought
There are many schools of thought on how best to learn a foreign language.
Many of these schools claim they have found the "best" way to learn.
We feel that the best way to learn depends on the person.
Some people learn better orally, some visually. Some learn best when they want to,
others when they have to. Some prefer rules and structure, others practice and application.
Nobody can tell you what works best, but teachers, books,
and experience can help show you the way.
Furthermore, we also believe that a foreign language can best be learned through a combination of instruction, study, and practice.
Any one of these in isolation, while still be helpful,
will generally be less effective and rewarding.
For instance, consider the benefit of having a lesson each week and doing nothing else,
compared to having the same lesson each week but learning the vocabulary beforehand,
or reinforcing what you learned after the lesson through actual use in conversation.
Vocabulary
Some people benefit from learning vocabulary lists,
while for others the effort exceeds the rewards.
Regardless, vocabulary forms the building blocks of language.
Whether by studying lists or learning though usage,
you'll want to develop some vocabulary.
The amount of words in a language can be staggering
(from twenty thousand to more than one hundred thousand depending on the language and how the words are counted).
However, one hundred words can be sufficient for basic conversation, and a couple thousand for fairly normal conversation.
If you want to improve your vocabulary retention, consider trying word associations.
The association can be either logical or illogical, whichever works best for you.
For instance, the Spanish word el coche can logically be associated with coach
(like a carriage) which was the predecessor to the car. It may help to imagine your
car as a coach, or imagine horses pulling it. The illogical approach might say el coche
sounds like coach (such as a basketball coach), and try to link coach and car in the
most vivid way possible. For instance, imagine your basketball coach lifting your car
above his or her head, then throwing it at a basketball hoop or through a wall.
You can remember that el coche is masculine in Spanish by adding to the image -
in the first example, imagine male horses pulling your car, or in the second example,
use a male coach.
The time it takes to create these associations can pay dividends later on
through easier retention. As you practice, you'll get quicker and create better associations.
Grammar
People often point out that kids learn language easily, and kids don't study grammar.
Kids do learn easily in some respects (i.e., accent),
but consider the amount of time they spend playing with friends, watching cartoons,
or with other activities in that language.
Many experts feel adults prefer to think logically, and learn better based on structure and rules such as grammar.
Comprehension
Comprehension improves with practice, whether through lessons, reading, or conversation.
The recent growth of DVD's provides a great tool to improve comprehension.
The language options vary by movie, but many have audio and/or subtitle options in
major languages. For instance if learning French, try watching a movie first in
French audio with English subtitles, then French audio with French subtitles,
then French audio with no subtitles.
For better results, watch the movie with a dictionary nearby,
and when you hear or see a word you still don't understand, look it up!
The audio track and subtitles do not always match, but they are usually close enough to provide a very effective learning tool.
Summary
We feel there's no "secret" to learning a foreign language.
We recommend you learn based on what works best for you.
Discuss different methods and tools with us or with your teacher.
If possible, use a combination of instruction, study, and practice.
Best of luck in this fun and rewarding experience!
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