Choosing a Language School
by Robert Levy
February 1999
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Choosing a Language School
I had always been fascinated with the Spanish language
having been brought up in Los Angeles I encountered many
people from Mexico, Colombia and Puerto Rico. My high
school Spanish failed me when it came to really communicating
with these people. I was determined to learn the language
and found that the most effective and efficient way to really
learn was to study the language in a country where it was
spoken. Since then I've gone to several language schools
and can offer a general guide to choosing a school and some
of the key points to consider when selecting the one that is
right for you.
Here a few things to consider when making your selection.
Class Size
Class size is one of the most important considerations in
choosing a language school along with the credentials of
the teaching staff. A school that advertises "small classes"
and does not place a limit on the number of students per class
usually means that as new students arrive the classes grow
larger, sometimes to an unwieldy number, limiting the
individual attention to questions and explanations and also
slowing the introduction of new material to a point where students
become bored waiting for their turn to respond.
Small Group Classes (5 or less students)
A misconception is that many people think that private
classes or one-on-one instruction would be better than
small group classes. The opposite is true in most cases,
especially for a beginning or an intermediate student. Small
groups (less than six) is superior to individual classes for the
following reasons:
1. When assimilating new information, repetition and
reinforcement are imperative. When in a small group an
individual student has the opportunity to think out each question
or response presented others in the group. As the other
students respond to a question the student has the opportunity
to answer the question to their self, thereby having to
opportunity to respond 4 or 5 times mentally before having to
respond verbally. As the student hears the questions and
responses they also hear the corrections to the other students
reinforcing or correcting their own errors.
2. Individual attention to students can still be maintained if the
class size is small. Students can still ask any questions they
have without interrupting the flow of the class and remain on
subject.
3. Small group classes are usually less expensive than
one-on-one instruction, maximizing the dollars spent on learning
the language.
Private Classes- One-one-One
Private classes definitely have their place and can be extremely
effective in instances where a student has a particular problem
understanding a certain aspect of structure syntax or grammar. Also, private classes can be very effective for more advance
students that have a firm grasp of the basics of the language
and wish to focus on a particular aspect. Professionals that
need to learn vocabulary or the vernacular of a specific
profession can benefit greatly from private classes.
Standard versus Intensive Classes
Often you'll find schools offering both Standard and Intensive courses. Both
should follow the same syllabi. The Standard Class usually runs for 4 hours per
day, and the Intensive Course for 6 hours. You don't learn anything different in
the Intensive class, you only receive more instruction. If you do elect to take
an Intensive Course consider limiting yourself to a few weeks a most. Six hours
a day of new information is just too much to assimilate for a very long time, be
very wary of "burn-out". A student that has a fresh and eager mind will acquire
more information than one who's mind is still numb from weeks of six hours a day.
Just as an athlete must rest to let their muscles grow and their skill level
increase, so must a language student rest, contemplate and digest new information
so that a solid base will form on which to build further learning.
Robert Levy runs the IPEE language school in Costa Rica (Web:
http://www.ipee.com)
He can be reached via email
ipee@gate.net.
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