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Are Spanish Skype lessons as effective as face-to-face tuition?
Skype is free to download and allows you to communicate with people all over the world via videoconferencing. It is becoming more and more popular with language learners as it is an amazing tool to learn a language effectively. I have noticed a steady increase in the number of learners requesting Spanish Skype lessons over the past two years.
How does it work?
- You need a PC or laptop, the internet, a webcam and Skype program. www.skype.com
- Exchange Skype names with your tutor, add them to your contact list and arrange a time for your lesson.
- Lessons are carried out in exactly the same way as a face-to-face lesson. You can focus on speaking, listening, grammar, reading, or writing as in a traditional lesson. You can send homework to your tutor for correction and feedback and you will receive any worksheets before the lesson by email.
What are the advantages of learning Spanish via Skype compared to normal lessons?
- It is cost-effective– no travel expenditure is incured getting to and from lessons which is also more environmentally-friendly.
- Convenience. You learn from the comfort of your own home or office.You can be anywhere in the world. If you are on holiday or a business trip, you can still keep up with regular Skype lessons.
- You can have real-time conversations with native tutors living in the country of the language you are studying. It is like having the tutor in the same room as you.
- You can share documents and links on-screen during the lesson and you benefit from a whole world of resources on the Internet at your fingertips – lessons can be much more interactive.
What happens if there are connection problems?
This rarely happens as the technology is so good. Only once have I experienced a global fault with Skype which was solved immediately. 99 times out of 100 the connection is perfect.
Text chat function: You can share email addresses, links or if you need to see how a word is written, this is very useful. You can store these text chats for future reference.
Is Skype the way forward for language learning?
Most definitely! Once I started teaching Spanish via Skype I soon discovered how efficient it is for learning Spanish. It works in exactly the same way as a normal lesson. The proof of this is that during a recent trip to Argentina, teaching via Skype allowed me to continue teaching my regular face-to-face clients. Although some were a little reluctant at first, I received positive feedback, as regards the high quality connection despite being on different continents and how the lesson was virtually the same as a face-to-face lesson.
