After 10 years of language studies, as both a teacher and a student, I believe:

1. Adult education is far different from Youth education.  Learning for one’s personal enrichment on one’s own personal time is far different than learning the essentials in a structured school or university environment.  We are all busy adults with full lives 24/7/365.  This renders techniques such as homework, special projects or out-of-class exercises, nearly impossible.  Additionally, as adults we just aren’t the little ‘sponges’ we were as children.  We are ‘old dogs’ and learning ‘new tricks’ is exponentially more difficult.  Therefore, nearly ALL work will be done in class.
2. Living and working in Brazil and Mexico, I’ve come to the conclusion that learning a second language as an adult is a mix of 50% language skill, 30% self-confidence and 20% the removal of cultural barriers and mystery. Fifty percent is clearly learning the grammar, vocabulary and formal practice of English. But surprisingly, I’ve found that success is heavily weighted in building the student’s confidence. To accept that ‘some’ English might be ‘enough’ English and that imperfect English is okay. Simply encouraging students to take a risk, to speak up louder and bolder, and to laugh with self-deprecation, goes a long way towards bilingual-ity (not a real word). The last component of success is removing the mystery of the Americano. Dispelling the stereotypes. We are the human race; and we have much more in common than we think or admit. When we remove the cultural mysteries of food, family, relationships, politics and religion – we are so very much the same! We just use different words to describe the same things. To learn and accept this fact helps build confidence when speaking a foreign language.
3. There are Four Pillars of learning – reading, writing, listening and speaking. For some, email communication is the priority. The ability to understand English and reply to an email professionally is paramount. For others the priority is to communicate verbally. This means using English contractions (e.g. we’ve) and phrasal verbs (e.g. pick up), using and understanding modern words, slang and idioms. We teach all four pillars with equal importance.
4. Learning a second language is more of a journey than a destination. We strive for perfection and settle for excellence. We add one new word every day and we get closer to the goal of fluency. But fluency is elusive and we will likely live somewhere along a spectrum of bilingual-ity. From my own journey, I believe bilingual-ity is level where one is comfortable sitting in a group and participating in a second language conversation. Fluency is not a requirement for success.
5. And lastly, I believe that we need to have fun in the learning process. For most of us, ESL class will be a voluntary, optional endeavor. Approaching it as a hobby will go a long way towards holding our attention and preventing us from quitting. It’s human nature to continue doing hard things if they’re fun and conversely to quit if they aren’t. With the InglesYa! program you can expect to have fun – a tonna fun!