How Courses Work - A Detailed Breakdown
How Cactus Courses Work
Courses are divided into key phases:
- Before the course; pre-course preparation
- During the course; study, assessment, feedback
- The end of the course; review and looking forward
Before the Course
Before a course can start, the following will take place:
1. Needs Analysis & Level Assessment
- Students will normally complete a Needs Analysis form and, if they are not complete beginners, a Language Level Test. Cactus can either supply a standard Needs Analysis form, or can design one specific to your needs.
- If requested, participants will undergo a pre-course oral assessment by telephone with a Cactus trainer at 15 minutes per student.
- Where appropriate, Cactus will discuss the course with the company and the trainer in order to ensure it is compatible with the Learning & Development Strategy.
2. Course Outline & Objectives
- A course outline is drawn up by Cactus, with a clearly identified learning pathway and learning objectives.
- The plan is discussed, modified where necessary, and agreed by HR/Training, participants, Cactus and Cactus trainers.
- Cactus trainers will be fully briefed prior to course commencement.
3. Materials Sourcing, Design & Development
For all courses, materials are selected in collaboration with the trainers, and we look to draw on their expertise and knowledge to make the right decision. Choices are then reviewed as the course progresses and updated as necessary.
Cactus trainers are encouraged to exploit published materials for what they contain, and then add to them with other materials as appropriate. They will use some or all of the following:
- A range of course books/CDs/DVDs/CDRoms
- Print media: newspapers, journals, periodicals, magazines
- Internet: online news & current affairs, wikipedia (etc), podcasts, audio & video clips, articles, blogs, visuals, e-learning sites
- CDs & DVDs – audio and film clips
- Their own tailored worksheets, pictures, factsheets
During the Course
1. Course Content
What you cover in your lesson will follow the outline decided in the set up phase. However, it is subject to ongoing negotiation between participant and teacher, and therefore flexible. Sometimes, language or thematic issues may arise, and will assume a higher priority. Such issues will be blended into the syllabus, and enable particpants to get a truly tailor-made learning experience.
2.Course Mentoring Capability & Support
Cactus Language Training has dedicated Academic and Operations teams in its UK & US offices, which will provide support to trainers, clients and participants. Cactus will collect regular feedback from them, and then respond if appropriate. Regular feedback and course evaluation is a fundamental part of any Cactus course.
3. Account Management
You will have a dedicated Account Manager who will be responsible for tracking and coordinating your courses. They will be first point of contact for you; will collate course feedback; will report back as requested; and will resolve any issues as they arise.
4. Online Reporting
Cactus has its own custom-built online reporting system, which allows you to track lesson work records, trainer notes, lesson schedules, and assignee attendance.
5. Ongoing Recycling & Review
We believe this to be essential in order to embed language more deeply in learners' minds, to identify areas of weakness for future work, and to create a sense of progress.
6. Progress Assessment
We measure language learning progress using the Council of Europe’s Common European framework (CEF).
The CEF categorises a person’s language level into 6 distinct levels: Beginner (A1), Elementary (A2), Lower-Intermediate (B1), Intermediate (B2), Upper-Intermediate (C1), and Advanced (C2). Typically; a student studying for 4 hours a week in a group class environment would expect to take 20 weeks (ie. 80 hours) to move up 1 level.
However, in the more intensive learning environment of 1:1 or a small group (up to 4), the learning curve can be accelerated. A heightened rate of progress is further consolidated by using an effective pedagogic approach, and ensuring that language acquisition is revised, recycled, and both useful and relevant. In these circumstances, we would expect participants to take around 40 hours to move up a level. Rapidity of progress is subject, naturally, to other factors such as other existing language knowledge, study time outside classes, and natural language learning ability.
Cactus Trainers will regularly review, assess and, where appropriate, formally test course participants. Assessment will be based on the CAN DO statements which have been identified as your key learning objectives. Reviews and tests will be based on actualising the language you have acquired, and is expressed in how it is realised outside the classroom. Examples of objectives could be new conversations, a foreign language presentation, or writing a report in the target language.
The End of the Course
1. A Final Review
This will:
- see what you now know and what you need to do more work on
- reflect on the course experience
- see if you have achieved the learning outcomes identified in the course preparation work
- create a clear sense of progress
- test the success of the teaching deployed
- generate a discussion on what needs to be done next,
2. What now?
Every language is a mighty, sprawling, complex, beautiful beast of a thing. It is unlikely you will have mastered it all yet.
Also, language slips away unless you practise it. It’s the old adage – if you don’t use it, you’ll lose it! And there’s so much language out there these days, you really have no excuse not to maintain it. Have a look at the training options (link) to see some of the ways you can consolidate and extend your learning. And if those don't appeal, then why not join a conversation club, take a language holiday, read some foreign press on the web, or look for business opportunities abroad.
And talk to someone. Your Account Manager at Cactus will be delighted to go through what you would like to do next.