Easter is fast approaching; later than usual but the shops are already full of chocolate eggs, fluffy toy bunnies and chicks and cards. In Spain, Easter holds far more fun for most – because this is the time for Spanish …
There have been some depressing headlines recently about the state of foreign language learning in UK secondary schools. BBC analysis highlights language learning drops of between 30% and 50% since 2013 in the numbers taking GCSE language courses. This is …
The thing about February is the weather. It can be cold, grey and wet. So we ramp up the heating, cuddle up on the sofa and long for summer. But, and this may surprise you, this could be exactly the …
When I was learning the language (some years ago!) typical French conversation was along the line of ‘Where are you going for your holiday?’ The sort of conversation to be had at the hairdressers, nothing too challenging, or indeed, interesting. …
New Year seems a long time ago now. And whatever well meant resolution you started on January 1st, it’s probably long since been forgotten. But is it too late for a language learning resolution you can keep in 2019? In …
When teaching adults Spanish they often tell us they’re worried that learning a new language will be difficult and too academic. That they won’t be able to pronounce things or remember new words, or that the grammar will defeat them. …
Language learning through Skype with la Academia – it’s great for intensive language study! We have enthusiastically embraced language teaching with Skype at la Academia, because it works. There is research1 which indicates that web conferencing encourages students to play more …
Why bother to learn Spanish when you can visit Spain with no need to speak Spanish? In fact, you could visit parts of Spain and speak nothing but English. But how much are you missing? When you can speak Spanish, …
You can’t teach an old dog new tricks. . . can you? This proverb is, for the most part, untrue. The adult brain was once believed to be a fixed structure that, once damaged, could not be repaired. But since …
Alan Watts the British philosopher, writer and speaker, said that ‘We seldom realise . . . that our most private thoughts and emotions are not actually our own. For we think in terms of languages and images which we did …