The methodology used in this Nicaraguan Spanish School, consists of teaching Spanish the way native speakers learn. Our teachers model the pronunciation without changing our accent, without exaggerating in sounding weird more likely artificial. We speak Spanish as we speak in daily situations. Our lessons are well organized and well structured. Our teachers plan their daily lessons in accordance to the student’s needs. Emphasis is placed on speaking the language and learning the grammar structure and the contextual vocabulary through conversation. For the intermediate and advanced levels, conversational topics are varied and interesting, planned and adapted to the interest of the participants. The lessons are a mixture of grammar and conversation adapted to the student’s level. This conversation involves the student in topics of daily life, conducted by the teacher as the facilitator. Contextual vocabulary is studied in each session. A grammar topic is studied each day or every other day depends on the student learning process pace. Structure explanation, grammar pattern analysis, oral and written practice are steps in the regular sessions. Daily written and oral homework is assigned.

The Spanish lessons at the Granada school are conversational, interactive, flexible and adaptive to the student’s interests, needs, and to the type of the Spanish course being taken. The role of the Spanish teacher is to be a facilitator. Interaction is quite an important fact that leads our students towards the fast learning and command of the Spanish language in a relatively short time. Active participation is a must for the students. Oral and written homework must be seen as an important task to train the brain to an automatic and spontaneous response in Spanish in real context situations.

Class techniques include the use of varied materials such as graphics, flash cards, storybooks, vocabulary cards, and pronunciation exercises and most importantly, the real atmosphere and culture that surround the students and the class. The lessons provide the students with the opportunity to speak Spanish, reducing the TTT -Teacher Talking Time- and increasing the STT -Student Talking Time-. This way the students can develop their oral skills and will be able to practice the language in class. Besides this practice in class, the students have the opportunity to be exposed to more communicative real contexts outside of the classroom; either with the host family or people in the street and places visited during the afternoon field trips to nearby destinations organized by the school.

Learning a foreign language in a small class size has a successful and an effective impact in the learning process, one of the main reasons in our Spanish school we place four students as maximum in a group class. Even though we theoretically say our groups are this big, most of the time the classes are taught one-one-one due to logistic facts and the differences among the student’s Spanish level. A great benefit to the students! The classes include a wealth of information on places of interest in the country. The lessons, handouts and workbooks are very informative and designed in such a way to help the students familiarize themselves with the natural use of the language and with the geography, traditions, expressions and culture of the country and the rest of Central America.

The Spanish classes for most of the courses are scheduled for 4 hours in the morning, with two short coffee breaks, Monday to Friday. During break students can use Wi-Fi in their electronic devices. Coffee, and filtered safe water is available at the school location for all of the students. All minimum programs are scheduled for one week, except the Spanish and Ceramic courses and the Intensive Spanish courses which start with a minimum of two weeks. The week-long Spanish programs including homestay begin on Sunday and end on Saturday, but they can be adjusted to the students schedule and can be started any day throughout the year. You are welcome to study in our Spanish school in Granada any time during the year! Our doors are open for you!