The approach of our courses
Our courses have been designed according to a communicative-socio-cultural approach which conceives the teaching-learning process of Spanish as an integral mechanism of giving meaning to the surrounding world, of interaction and appropriation, of structuring and adaptation based on the needs of the students. In this way, we conceive language as an instrument of social communication. This mechanism links, in real communication contexts, the structural aspects of the language and the linguistic skills of the speakers with the socio-cultural foundations of the environment in which Spanish is used.
Through this approach, our programmes are action-oriented. From a constructivist point of view, through academic activities inside and outside the classroom, we are convinced that educational practice is, in essence, a social practice with an important socialising function. With this objective in mind, we start from the general competences corresponding to each level and the particular needs of the student in order to promote the learning of Spanish through tasks in which the different skills are worked on individually and/or collaboratively.
At the same time, we include discursive errors or inaccuracies as formative elements. We understand that, in the interlanguage process (that transition between the mother tongue and the foreign or second language), learners of ELE progress from one stage to another through experiments and adjustments which constitute an important driving force for learning. This implies conceiving the student as the centre of the teaching-learning process and the teacher as a facilitator who contributes, with his or her guidance, to charting the most appropriate route for the learner’s needs.
Therefore, from the very beginning and during all the courses, communication in Spanish is promoted (according to the student’s level) and all the linguistic skills are worked on (oral expression and interaction, written expression and interaction, reading comprehension and listening comprehension). In addition to grammatical content, social and historical aspects of Spanish-speaking cultures and the immediate communicative context are also taught in order to favour greater linguistic and cultural immersion. Apart from the classes, activities are carried out outside the classroom so that students can put their knowledge and mastery of the language into practice in real situations.
Assessment is carried out continuously in the classroom and also through personal and private monitoring via our platform, taking into consideration and balancing constant, formative and summative evaluations in the process. All our courses are designed in accordance with CEFR levels and respond to the cultural, pragmatic, academic and professional communicative needs of the contemporary world.
