International learning method

   Los Angeles English School teaching methodology is based on the effective English language learning program and innovative techniques in accordance to the international standards of ESL (English as a second language) teaching and offers clear outcomes and objectives.

  It's an absolutely new approach to teaching and learning foreign languages which was created in order to provide English language learners with  a sufficient amount of skills and knowledge and prepare them to apply it. We are sure that because of its orientation towards modern communication purposes (everyday English, business, studying, travelling, etc.) and great results, felt within a short period of time, it'll be appreciated by people who work in different spheres, as well as by students of various educational institutions.

 The main feature of our teaching method is a complex of questions, videos, exercises, dictations, texts and audios which are joined together and directed at providing students with the ability to comprehend and speak real-life English. This complex was built in such a way that all necessary words and grammar can be easily and quickly mastered and remembered. 

  When we want to know about someone’s ability in a foreign language, the general way of checking this is by asking "Do you speak ...?". This shows that spoken language is seen as the most important of all the language skills. Frequently, learners who have studied English for many years still can not communicate in English. They complain that their previous learning was very grammar-focused. While grammar is important, students need to activate their grammatical knowledge by way of oral practise. At the same way, they need to be able to practise speaking fluently without worrying to much about grammar. 

  Grammar is often perceived as being something abstract and difficult. While it is possible to create such an impression, grammar is just something that we use every day whenever we speak or write. When we have thoughts  which we want to articulate in spoken or written form, we use vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation systems to encode our ideas so that others will understand them. The aim should be to focus on the message and on communicating effectively. 

  So, the main focus is namely on the ability to communicate in English in real-life contexts. No wonder, it's the most desired skill because you need a lot of practice and special conditions. Thus, classes include 70 per cent of conversations between a teacher and each student. Vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation as well are mostly developed by means of an interview - students are asked questions in which particular vocabulary or grammar are used (a teacher doesn't make up these questions; they are contained in Los Angeles School teachers' books). Learners give complete answers, using new learning material meanwhile. This course promotes learners to use new words and grammar immediately, to draw them into speaking. 

   The method encourages learning in lexical chunks, rather than on a word-by-word basis. A large amount of communication involves common phrases: “glad to hear that,” “take into consideration,” “pleased to confirm”, etc. You should memorise a language in phrases and you'll have a ready arsenal, without the stress of having to build and conjugate sentences from scratch.The most part of the class you’ll need to answer your teachers’ questions in order to practice vocabulary and grammar in context; you have to give complete answers, but not short ones, using the very vocabulary and grammar that are trained at the particular moment.

For instance:

To your teacher’s question:  - Do you like to travel?

You need to reply:  - I like to travel. or  - I don't like to travel.

While answering, you need to use only the vocabulary and grammar which are trained at the particular moment.    

Just try to answer questions the way you have understood them. If you make a mistake, your teacher will correct and assist you. When a question is unclear, ask your teacher for clarification. If you haven’t understood a question at all, please, don’t demand from your teacher translation into your native language; your teacher is trained to explain everything to you in English so that it becomes clear.

If you make mistakes answering a question, a teacher gives you a correct variant, and you need to say this correct variant out loud after the teacher, even if you understand a particular rule. This practice is essential because it helps to make the skill automatic, rather than just to check how well you remember the rules.

Our teachers make all possible efforts in order to help you speak English both fluently and accurately and remember the new, rather than check knowledge that you already have.   

  Of course, such areas as reading, writing and listening are also important when learning English, and our classes and materials help you improve these skills together. 30 per cent of classrooom activities - grammar and vocabulary exercises which allow to strengthen and practise students' knowledge, watching videos (the US + England, one half of them is taken during the class, and another half is provided for self-study), listening to audios, reading and discussion (dialogues, monologues, etc.). Also, there are short dictations to write for spelling, vocabulary, grammar and literacy development.

  Teaching process is realized only in English! Don’t speak your native language to teachers. The entire method and all programs are structured in accordance to the international standards of ESL (English as a second language) teaching, which allows to exclude the use of your native language from the class, and to immerse you into English environment, even if you are a beginner.   

  Many learners may have previous language learning experience when the teacher spoke the learners’ first language, translated phrases for them, etc. On the one hand, using exercises for translation from the learners’ mother tongue into English can be a useful tool; they are suggested by many coursebooks. But if the teacher translates something into learners’ first language while teaching, it makes learners extremely dependent on translation and will lead to being at a loss when a one-to-one translation with the first language is not available, and their communication won't be successful. Moreover, in a multilingual classroom it would be impossible to expect the teacher to know all the languages represented.

  Prerior to the start of classes students get learning materials. These materials are clearly arranged by the units and lessons. Each lesson contains the list of new words represented. In order to avoid misunderstanding of any information during the class and be prepared for the lesson, students should look up these words in a dictionary beforehand. Learners don't have to memorize them on their own; these words will be trained during classes, but in order to exclude the use of student's first language from the class, they should consult a dictionary themselves. Also, work with a dictionary gives learners the opportunity better to remember new words, to understand their meaning, collocation (the combination of words formed when two or more words are frequently used in a way that sounds natural), to check pronunciation.          

 With each group as well as with each student individually work three teachers. Communication with only one person does not provide learners with the ability to converse in English with different people fluently and without fear. All teachers are well coordinated and work harmoniously in one team. Teachers do their best to make lessons vivid, dynamic, to avoid a waste of time, to follow the program.

 Texts, dialogues, videos and audios contain the same vocabulary and grammar which are trained and strengthened while learners answer teacher's questions for their practice and activation. All activities are logically connected. Lots of connections makes it very easy for your brain to “see” the word you want to recall when you are trying to remember it. We work on all types of reading and listening: scanning (when you need to find specific information), skimming (to get the main idea of a message), intensive/detailed (to obtain detailed understanding of information). While communicating with teachers, students obtain a large amount of up-to-date common colloquial, business and scientific lexis, and master grammar. Discussions of texts, videos and audios develop the ability to express your thoughts in English fluently and accurately, to ask questions.

 Also, there is pronunciation practice because big gaps in this skill can lead to breakdowns in communication between non-native speakers and native speakers, or between two non-native speakers conversing in English. Additionally, you will write dictations for better remembering of new words and grammar and for spelling and literacy developing.  

  Dictations contain the same vocabulary and grammar on which we work during all other activities. Writing them, learners much better understand meaning and collocation of words, use of grammar. Students should be prepared for writing dictations (dictations are contained in learners' materials, teachers let students know about preparation for a dictation beforehand).

  Learners also need to write several essays. Writing skill is a very important productive skill, which include many micro-skills, such as the ability to organize your thoughts correctly, to express the main idea of a message logically, spelling, literacy, punctuation, etc.

  Each lesson starts with the revision of a previous material (you say the same things as during the last lesson) in order to activate vocabulary and grammar learned during the previous class.

  All these activities match modern life conditions and work together to promote and maximize English speaking skills. 

The course for adults consists of 4 levels:   

1. Beginners + Elementary;
2. Pre-intermediate;
3. Intermediate;
4. Upper-Intermediate + Advanced.

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The methodologist of our school is a certified teacher of English at the international level (CELTA certificate ESOL Cambridge University)