OUR EDUCATIONAL APPROACH
At Cambridge School, we follow what has become known as the 'Communicative Approach'. This has been the predominant language learning approach in Europe and the developed world for the last 20 years or so.
One of the differences between the 'Communicative Approach' and other more old-fashioned approaches is that with the 'Communicative Approach, students actually use the language from day one. The emphasis is on students being able to communicate with other people in the language they are studying. This means lots of conversation practice and lots of listening practice too. Our students also study grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation and practise reading and writing. Teachers often play language-learning games in class and use video and songs to make classes more varied and enjoyable.
LEARNING GRAMMAR
We believe in a 'Guided Discovery' approach to learning grammar. This means that the teacher will set up activities in which students work in pairs or groups and 'discover' the grammar rules. The teacher will then clarify anything the students don't understand. In this way, students are more likely to remember the grammar rules in the future. This approach is also more interesting for students as it means they are actively engaged in studying the language rather than just passively listening to explanations.
GROUPWORK
We often ask students to work in pairs or groups. This gives students more individual speaking time than if they just talk to the teacher. We also believe that students can learn from each other as well as from the teacher. It is all a part of helping students to become autonomous learners.
MATERIAL
We use coursebooks in most levels and each level has a course video and often a course reader as well. We believe that students should also do homework as this helps to consolidate the work done in class. We also believe in the value of tests and exams as a way of motivating students and to help them to see the progress they are making.
Although we have very clear ideas about how we think it is best to learn a foreign language, we realise too that different students have different needs and learning styles and adapt our approach accordingly when it is necessary.
We live in an exciting time as far as language learning goes, and new discoveries and ideas are emerging all the time. Cambridge School is at the forefront of all this activity and sends teachers on courses and to seminars and subscribes to all the major teaching journals and magazines to make sure that we are always up-to-date with latest developments and that our students get the best possible service.