The First Step.




     The  first  step  after  deciding  on  which  language  to  study (Spanish, French, Portuguese etc) is  to  find  a  good  school, college, or  university  to  take  classes. This  is  a  very  crucial  decision  and  one’s  success  will  hinge  on  it. When  I  say  a  good  school, college, or  university, I  mean  good  in  terms  of  the  quality  of  instruction  at  their  languages  department. A  good  institution  will  place  a  high  premium  on  the  development  of  its  students  as  far  as  their  studies  are  concerned. What  this  means  is  that  Professors/Instructors  will  be  concerned  with  their  student’s  progress. When  instructors  are  invested  in  the  student’s  progress, it  becomes  easier  for  one  to  approach  them  for  assistance. On  the  other  hand, if  an  institution  is  only  interested  in  seeing  students  through  the ‘pipeline’, then  their  major  focus  will  only  be  to  cover  the  syllabus  as  fast  as  possible, get  that  group  out  of  the  way  and  bring  in  a  new  class.

     As  an  example, an  institution  that  places  emphasis  on  the  success  of  its  students  will   have  a  well  structured  curriculum. What  a  well  structured  curriculum  does  is  to  create  balance. By  creating  balance, I  mean  take  into  consideration  the  length  of  classes. The  level  of  the  course  and  the  complexity  of  a  lesson/subject  should  be  considered  when  developing  the  curriculum. There  are  some  lessons  that  will  require  the  instructors  to  adapt  a  slow  pace, especially  ones  that  deal  with  complex  materials. Others  may  require  repetition  and  constant  review  throughout  the  term/semester/length  of  the  class/course. This  is  why  it’s  very  important  for  anyone  who  is  considering  pursuing  a  second/foreign  language  to  choose  their  school/college/university  wisely, because  the  foundation  you  lay, how  you  start  has  the  potential  to  determine  how  you  end  up. It’s  possible  to  fail  before  you  even  start, if  you  choose  the  wrong  institution. So, choose  carefully!!.


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