Methodology
Method:
Communicative, customized, and practical method focused on the student's needs not only at language level (Oral Fluency, Listening and Reading Comprehension, Vocabulary, Grammar, Pronunciation...) but also at personal and professional level (preparation of Meetings, Presentations, Conference Calls, Negotiations, Business Meals, etc.). This way all this knowledge comes in the context and therefore it is far easier to assimilate. Please see "The 10 Commandments of California Systems' Trainers" Section (only available in English), and feel free to ask any question you may have.
Student's Profile:
At the start of any Language course we will fill in a Student's Profile including the needs of the student, as well as his/her level, location, schedule, contact information, etc. Please see example in the Student's Profile Report link.
Level Test:
Upon request from the participant, the "Level Test" administration takes place mainly before the start of the course. It is aimed at assessing the student's skills in Reading and Listening Comprehension, Vocabulary, Grammar, and Speaking, and it plays an essential role when establishing the objectives of the course -mostly in the case of group classes, although it will only be administered if the student and his/her company agree to it.
After analyzing the test results, the evaluator/trainer will set the goals for the course, with the consent of the student, in order to make the best use of the time and investment spent.
Attendance Report:
We will issue a monthly "Attendance Report" of each student, upon request. (The customer can decide on the format by choosing either our usual report or one provided by them -internal, European Social Fund, etc.)
Follow-up:
It is gradually done between the teacher and the student, after analyzing the specific needs, objectives, attendance, and effort, and the results of the level test. The main objective is to obtain the maximum use of the learning.
THE 10 COMMANDMENTS OF CALIFORNIA SYSTEMS' TRAINERS
1.- Relate learning practice to practical situation:
- Ask "Where do you use your language skills? (meetings, conf calls, presentations, emails, socializing...)" and adapt needs to their real context
- Ask for e-mails received by the student in English...
- Ask for hobbies and find any related material. Motivate them
- Business Presentations
- Being Articulate
- Expressing with Trust
- The 'Inverted Pyramid' structure
- Not only..., but also...; Both..., and
- Vocabulary Choice & Register
- Contracted and non-contracted forms
- Emphasis
- Language Power
- Positive vs. Negative message
- Building Professional Perceptions
- Using Connectives
- Show me. Don't tell me. Illustrating
- Children learn English thru Listening, not Reading. That's why you pronounce /report/ the way you do, and /crisis/, and /I helped him/...
- Don't expect them to pronunce a word thru just reading
- Pronunciation-based misunderstanding:
- 'I lost my /voice/ vs. /boys/.'
- 'I /found/ vs. /phoned/ yesterday.'
- In negotiations, when using Conditional tenses:
'Si hubiésemos fabricado más terminales...':- Wrong: 'If we manufactured more terminals...'
- Right: 'If we'd manufactured more terminals...'
- Emphasis:
- I understand your point.
I do understand your point. - Don't say that.
Do not say that,
Don't YOU say that. - I've seen it.
I have seen it. - I haven't seen it.
I have not seen it. - I would have helped him.
I would've helped him.
Had I helped him... (not questioning)
- I understand your point.
- Vocabulary register:(Anglo-Saxon vs. Latin-based)
- Very, quite, rather, extremely
- Strange, odd
- Put up with, tolerate
- Call off, cancel; put off, postpone
- Problem, issue
- Important, significant, relevant, vs. insignificant, trivial
- Ask them to imitate your pronunciation, and do not teach its Grammar use when the student already knows its use
- MISCOMMUNICATION DUE TO GAPS AND BAD HABITS:/estóped/ vs. /stópt/ (Pronunciation of Past Regular Verbs)
It would build up gaps in 11 verb tenses: 'I stopped', 'I've stopped', 'I'd stopped', 'If I stopped', 'If I'd stopped', 'I will've stopped', 'I would've stopped', 'I'm stopped', 'I was stopped', 'I've been stopped', 'I'd been stopped', let alone parallel structures
ACTION: Care for your students, find out about their needs, ask them questions, provide solutions with SMART Objectives, and keep their information strictly confidential.
CONSEQUENCES: You will be able to build a successful, trustworthy, and long-term relationship matching the students' professional and private expectations.
7.- 'Da ESL Mix' (CD with Songs which cover all Objectives of ESL learning)
- "Imitate, don't innovate."
- Relate their grammar mistakes, connections between verbs, pronunciation, to some song.
- To 'force and provoke' the use of specific structures -even through translation- that otherwise would be avoided
- Drill those structures
- Review the story
- Try to create a lively story
- 'Water' as /uárer/; 'let him know' as /lérim nou/
- 'I asked her' as /ai áskTer/
- Contractions such as /I've heard/, /He would've done it/
- Scientists, costs; cards, suggests...
- Make them imitate the questions you ask them*
- MISCOMMUNICATION DUE TO GAPS AND BAD HABITS: 'Solemos pagar a los 3 meses del recibo del pedido.'
- Wrong: 'We use to pay (which will sound as 'we used to pay') three months after receiving the order.'
- Right: 'We usually pay three months after receiving the order.'
- They'll develop their skills to address their gaps:
- You'll avoid their only paying attention to the message and not the form
- You'll make them be active listeners, and not only about structure
- You'll help some advanced students to be able to form questions in the present!!! (Believe it or not)
