Learning a language today
What will my language course be like?
Today when you learn a language – English, French, Spanish etc. – you will learn in the same way – only the language changes.
- The goal of most language courses is to communicate – you will focus on speaking and understanding the language.
- Schools have language courses at all levels so you will always be with learners who are the same level as you.
- You will be in a small class with other adults. Classes usually have a maximum of 12 students.
- Some schools also have mini groups of 4-8 students. You can also have individual language lessons.
- Your teachers will be qualified to work with international adult students.
In class:
- you will work in pairs and small groups so you are using the language as much as possible.
- your teachers will use creative methods which include games, role-playing, problem-solving discussions to help you use the language in ‘real’ situations.
- your teacher will use the language your are learning to give the lesson. In an English lesson, the teacher will speak only English, in a Spanish lesson the teacher will speak Spanish. This is sometimes difficult for some students at first, but students quickly adapt and feel comfortable.
- your teacher will be careful to speak at your level.
- you will build all the skills you need to learn a language well – listening, speaking, reading and writing – but in most courses the emphasis will be on speaking and understanding.
How many hours will I study on my language course?
The number of hours is quite flexible. You can usually choose from:
- a standard language course of 15-20 lessons a week
- an intensive language course of 25-30 lessons a week
- private tuition where you work alone with your teacher and decide the number of hours you want to study
- a combined course of group and individual lessons
