How can you improve your level of Spanish online? What method is best for you in order to learn it to the fullest? Would you like to learn only what you need?
Are these and other questions important to you when looking for an online Spanish teacher? The key to it all is a strategy and plan designed especially for you, in which the teacher can help you speak and write better Spanish.
Now you can be the main player in some online Spanish classes created according to your objectives, in which you will carry out activities designed by a native teacher, who will guide you and correct you thoroughly.
Before the class
The first class or free trial class is essential because it is the first point of contact between the teacher and the student.
First of all, in the free trial class, we’ll get to know each other, I’ll explain how my classes work and I’ll ask you some questions to find out what your level of Spanish is. Secondly (and this is the most important bit!), you will tell me why you want to study the second most spoken language in the world, why you need to improve your level of Spanish and what your favourite learning method is.
Also, in our first class you will tell me about your interests. I will take these into account when preparing the classes. Maybe you are interested in knowing more about Hispanic culture? Perhaps you want to learn vocabulary related to gastronomy and to discover new recipes from Spain or from another Latin American country? Or maybe you work in the business world and you need to improve your Spanish for your line of work? Tell me what your needs are and I will do everything possible to personally plan your online Spanish classes.
If, at the end of the class, you have enjoyed the experience and you decide to start the journey of learning Spanish with me, then congratulations, let’s start an adventure together! It will be a linguistic and cultural adventure, because learning a foreign language is, above all, all about discovering new ways of seeing the world. That sounds romantic, right? However, this Spanish learning adventure is based on a methodology that will help you improve your level, thanks to carefully designed planning.
Once you decide that I am going to be your Spanish teacher, I will prepare a detailed course plan to improve your Spanish level, according to the type of classes you want. I will also determine a plan of activities, with all the necessary explanations, according to the objective of each class, in order to guide your learning towards a specific conversational objective. The activities that I will propose to you are progressive as regards their difficulty level, and are based on the communicative method, which means they are always designed to help you express yourself better when you speak with the locals, and to advance in your Spanish language knowledge through conversation.
During the class
This is the fun part! We’ll learn new vocabulary and grammar using texts, videos, audio clips and, most importantly, through speaking!
To start the class, and to arouse the curiosity of my students, I usually start the online lesson with a well-known phrase, a Spanish proverb, an unusual photograph or a topic in the news. Everything depends on the level of the student and his or her interests. After that, we’ll look over the homework from the previous lesson and then I’ll explain what the objective of the class will be, and what activities we will use.
During the class I will be completely at your disposal, and you’ll be able to ask all the questions you like. Throughout the class I will correct you occasionally, but, so as not to interrupt your dialogue, I will often write down some mistakes for us to talk about at the end of the class. I won’t tell you what the mistake is at first, so that you can try and figure out what it was. Correcting yourself is the best way of learning!
What’s the best way to improve your level of Spanish from class to class? Simply by asking all the questions you need! The time we have available in the online class is very valuable, and so we are not going to waste it by doing exercises that you could do by yourself. We’ll get the most out of every minute by learning vocabulary, solving grammar questions and, above all, speaking. This, of course, is the best way to live and learn the language!
After the class
It’s important for you to bear in mind that the class continues after our online lesson!
Once we finish each class on Skype, I will prepare an evaluation form. On this sheet I will set out what you have learned during the class and what your achievements have been, and how we will practice these with homework exercises. In the evaluation I will also point out what your weak points have been: the aspects that we’ll need to work on in more depth in the following class in order to help you improve your level of Spanish.
One of the advantages here is that you will also have input on the evaluation form, indicating what you think you have learned best, what you liked most about the class and what you liked the least. In addition to this, you can make suggestions on areas you would like to discuss in the following class, and I will take these into account. This will help me plan the next class’s objectives, in order to continue improving your level of Spanish.
I highly recommend that you continue working at home with the homework that I’ll give you at the end of each class. Maybe you’re wondering if it is obligatory to do the homework? I fully understand that, even though your objective is to improve your level of Spanish, you also have a life outside of the Spanish classes. However, the exercises you do between classes will allow you to be consistent, and help you reinforce what you have learned in class.
Finally, one last piece of advice: look for an understanding and open teacher who is willing to listen to your suggestions! If you want, you can consult the key points for finding the online Spanish teacher that you deserve, and need, in order to improve your Spanish. It is important that students and teachers discuss things together in order for them to fit together like the pieces of a puzzle. In this way the experience of learning Spanish will be meaningful, real and exciting. Do you want to see how I do my Spanish classes to help you improve your level?
