Is the US population afflicted with some peculiar block to foreign language learning?
We don't believe it
Many, perhaps most, US teenagers, university students and kids in elementary school who study Spanish in school –
• Do not become fluent
• Struggle with the material
• Hate the class
• Get grades lower than in other classes
Too many Americans accept the claim that foreign language instruction is a dismal failure, that a very large percentage of students will never become fluent in another language.
Catherine Snow, Professor of Education
Harvard University
Teaching foreign languages is not a priority in
most US middle and high schools.
Instructors who are native speakers of Spanish
are more successful than other teachers.
Many students and parents believe that
learning a foreign language is extraordinarily
difficult.
How do we explain, then, that 100 percent of
students in Germany, Scandinavia,
The Netherlands, Switzerland, Singapore and
many other places achieve high levels of
competence in English – and typically in at
least one or two other languages as well?
Catherine Snow, Professor of Education
Harvard University
With a proper learning program learning
Spanish is no more difficult than most other
subjects and less difficult than many, e.g.,
quantum physics and calculus.
It doesn't need to be this way..
We can help
We provide tutoring/one-on-one instruction and group classes for struggling students.
If your teenager/child/young adult is motivated, they will learn Spanish with us like never before.
We have a variety of specialized offerings for kids – or adults for that matter – who are studying Spanish in school and not
learning very much.
• We have different materials for kids under 13.
• We are serious about teaching Spanish Your Way.
• We will customize the curriculum to fit the specific needs of each student.
• There are three different approaches we suggest depending on the needs of each student.
1) Common European Framework
Normally, we teach to the CEF (Common European Framework) for language instruction. This is the gold standard used
throughout the world for learning European languages.
The advantages of the CEF are numerous.
First, under the auspices of the European Union the CEF was thoughtfully designed over a period of years by experts in each
European language. CEF is the method by which all of our instructors learned to teach foreign languages.
Standardization Following the CEF allows students to change classes/schools/countries and pick up exactly where they left off.
No drudgery plowing through topics the student already knows, no introduction of new topics without the proper foundation.
The CEF is the standard around which certificates of Spanish fluency are awarded by the Spain's Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport.
These are called DELE and are offered at each level of progress through a language learning program. Following the CEF allows
us to prepare students for the DELE exam at each level. We also offer coaching for exam preparation.
Anyone serious about advancing through Spanish, teaching Spanish, studying Spanish literature, or working in academic and
professional careers in a Spanish-speaking environment should take and pass the exams at each level. Most of our students are
learning Spanish for other reasons, typically a course requirement.
2) Custom Curricula
If your school has gone its own way in developing foreign language curricula, we can put together a program designed around the
lesson plan of your school. To do this, we need your help: We need you to send us the lesson plan used by your school so that we
can rearrange the standard curriculum to match.
3) Cafeteria plan
We can also teach by topic to fit specific problem areas in which the student needs help. That might be pronunciation or verb
conjugations, sentence structure or reading, overcoming embarrassment speaking in front of others.
We can proceed together
In the FREE class and evaluation, we will help each student determine their current level of Spanish skill measured against the
Common European Framework.
We will elicit from each student (or parent) the preferred learning styles of each student.
Together we will discover what works for the student, the ways in which the student has done well, those in which the student is
floundering.
And with this information, we will develop a learning plan customized to the needs of each student.
Group or One-on-one
We offer group classes (never more than 6 students) and we offer one-on-on instruction.
Click here to find out more about
one-on-one classes
To learn more about our group classes
and why we recommend them
Frequency
We recommend that students take a minimum of two classes per week. Otherwise, you are apt to forget half of what you learned
between classes. The ideal schedule for someone who wants to make rapid progress would be 5 classes per week.
Typically, our students enroll in one of three levels of intensity.
Intensive: 5 classes per week, Monday through Friday. This can be a lot or even too much for most. Relaxed: 3 classes per week, Monday / Wednesday / Friday. This is great for serious students. Casual: 2 classes per week, usually Tuesday and Thursday. This will get you to your destination at more leisurely pace. Sign up for many classes as you want: One class per week is okay. You choose your schedule.
Schedules
At the Carranza Academy of Languages, your schedule is our schedule. Tell us when you want to study and how many classes per week
you want to take. Saturday and Sunday classes can be arranged on demand and, always, subject to instructor availability.
All classes begin on the hour and finish ten minutes before the hour.
