Your First Day In a Foreign Language School
Monday, 10th November 2008
Don't be daunted by your first day at a language school - here are a few tips on what to expect from your school, classes and fellow students.
When you arrive at foreign language school your level in the foreign language will be assessed in some way. This may involve a formal placement test, which could written and/or oral, or an informal assessment based on how well you can express yourself in the foreign language. In some cases you can choose which class to join yourself. If you find a class too hard or too easy, it’s best to talk to your teacher and the director of the school so that you can move to a different class if necessary. This is only possible if other classes at a more suitable level are running at the time.
On the evening of your first day there may be a welcome party or other social event at which you can get to know the other students and teachers. You can also use this as an opportunity to practise what you’ve learnt in class.
Beginners’ classes might be taught, at least partly, through your native language, but higher level classes are usually taught mainly or entirely in the language you’re learning. In some schools all classes are taught in the foreign language, so if you’re a beginner, you’ll find it easier if you learn at least some words and phrases before going to the school.
The teaching methods used vary a great deal between schools and teachers. In some there might be a focus on learning conversational spoken language and only limited discussion of grammar and written language, in others the focus might be more on grammar and/or writing. Some teachers use lots of games and other activities in class. They may also use songs, stories, films and other teaching materials. Before booking a language course, it’s a good idea to find out whether the teaching methods used will be suitable for you.
In foreign language classes you can usually find students from all over the world. They may be learning a language for fun, for holidays, because they are doing an academic course with a foreign language requirement, or because they need the language in their work. The language may be spoken or was spoken by the parents, grandparents or other relatives of some of the students, or they might have learnt it in school but not used it since then and forgotten it.
Tags: first day, language school
Posted by Simon Ager under Attitudes to Language Learning, Planning for a course,
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