ATTAIN YOUR LEVEL B – FULL TIME PROGRAM

Adult learners, especially those for whom learning a language is a new experience, need a solid framework to support their learning. Adults cannot learn a second language as children can, by absorbing the language holistically: adult learners need to understand the rules and to practice these rules in a context that makes sense. The elements of the second language need to be presented in meaningful contexts to learners.

Knowledge Circle uses a variation of the communicative approach to second language acquisition: contextualization. Contextualized learning emphasizes the importance of the situation and use of language. The first step in a contextualized learning plan is to present the language function or structure under discussion in a situation that is familiar and makes sense to the learners. The use of authentic material (text, audio, video) is key to this step. Once the learners understand the situation in which the language function is used, the instructor isolates the function and gives a more theoretical explanation of the function, adapted to the learning styles of the learners. Once the learners have grasped the concept in an abstract way, the instructor returns to the original situation and the learners explain why and how this context relates to the generalized rule. The next step is for the instructor to guide the learners into other uses for the same function and for the learners to create something unique with it (oral and written) to consolidate the learning. The function in question becomes genuinely acquired, not merely learned.