Podcasts: The Next Step in Language Learning
Thursday, 12th March 2009
Recently featured in the Financial Times, was a report about how a former English teacher turned entrepreneur has pioneered the first podcast method for learning Mandarin Chinese.
Chinesepod.com is currently being used by almost 250,000 people all over the globe, and is continuing to sell despite the current economic climate. Initial suggestions were that the continued success was attributable to the increasing number of redundancies and the ensuing need (and available time) to learn new skills such as languages. In actual fact though, most users of Chinesepod are learning Mandarin for ‘personal growth’ or because they make regular business trips to China – the eclectic selection of users even includes an Olympic silver medalist and a belly dancer!
Although Chinese is particularly relevant given the great desire of many businesses to tap into this huge emerging market, there are many other language training organizations looking into podcasts in various other languages.
Cactus Language Training will soon be launching its own Spanish language podcast, composed of 7 levels (beginner to advanced). Although it is essentially being developed to complement existing evening language courses, they will also be sold as standalone products for anyone who is unable to attend face-to-face lessons to get regular contact with native speakers.
Each level contains 10 lessons, resulting in a total of 70 lessons, and the Spanish featured will be a “standard” or “neutral” version of the language, avoiding regional forms of speech. This will ensure that users are able to apply what they learn anywhere in the Spanish-speaking world. With a lively format and covering a range of topics it’s easy to see why this course will be every bit as successful as Chinesepod.com
The ‘podcast’ method offers a flexible, affordable and efficient way to learn and is recognized as being well-suited to the hectic lifestyle of many people in today’s world.
For anyone looking to learn other European languages, French, Italian and German podcasts will soon be available too…
For more information on Cactus’ Spanish podcast
Tags: part-time evening course, tailor-made, podcast, business, blended learning, combined
Posted by Laura Harrison under Types of Courses,
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