 |
| The Conversation Exchange |
Very
shortly after I had finished my one to one lessons with Irene, from Almeria, I
decided to try and learn some Spanish, not least because I was hoping to teach and lead another group of students from the Canary Islands,
in Sheffield, later in the year.
I decided to throw myself into learning Spanish using the Conversation Exchange. It's very easy to use. Just write a brief profile that highlights your native language, the language that you want to learn and briefly describe your interests - and away you go.
Although I could quite easily search quite specifically for a potential language exchange partner, anywhere in Spain, I have just let the Spanish speaking world approach me.
With a vocabulary of one line phrases that had previously enabled me to eat, drink, sleep and travel, and with very little grammar, I struggled to express myself at first. Using a Teach Yourself Spanish book that I had bought ages ago, without the audio resources, watching films and listening to the radio, I soon improved and, before long, I was able to construct more complex sentences.
Not having the structure of formal lessons, or a strict syllabus and homework to complete, I found that the best way is to create a strict timetable with my language partners. This has paid real dividends and, 10 months later, I have finished my Teach Yourself Spanish book and I now possess a good grasp of the language.
As an English teacher, it has also been a really valuable experience...
I decided to throw myself into learning Spanish using the Conversation Exchange. It's very easy to use. Just write a brief profile that highlights your native language, the language that you want to learn and briefly describe your interests - and away you go.
Although I could quite easily search quite specifically for a potential language exchange partner, anywhere in Spain, I have just let the Spanish speaking world approach me.
With a vocabulary of one line phrases that had previously enabled me to eat, drink, sleep and travel, and with very little grammar, I struggled to express myself at first. Using a Teach Yourself Spanish book that I had bought ages ago, without the audio resources, watching films and listening to the radio, I soon improved and, before long, I was able to construct more complex sentences.
Not having the structure of formal lessons, or a strict syllabus and homework to complete, I found that the best way is to create a strict timetable with my language partners. This has paid real dividends and, 10 months later, I have finished my Teach Yourself Spanish book and I now possess a good grasp of the language.
As an English teacher, it has also been a really valuable experience...
No comments:
Post a Comment