This course aims to develop conversational skills and the ability to communicate confidently in formal and informal settings. In a stress free and stimulant learning environment, the students engage in activities aimed to foster conversation and discussions that would develop their critical thinking and build up their confidence. The tailor-made activities are aimed to enhance their linguistic skills, consolidate their knowledge and increase their understanding of the language, culture and society of Spanish speaking countries, All topics aim to extend the vocabulary range, develop control of the grammatical and syntactical system to convey meaning accurately, and refine all aspects of the language that allow the students to interact effectively with native speakers and become increasingly confident, accurate and independent users of the language. . During the course the students will explore and discuss topics related to contemporary matters, current affairs and cultural issues related to Spanish-speaking countries. Also included is a short literary text for reading and comment, as well as videoclips and other listening materials in the original language, to improve pronunciation and intonation. The course is mainly online but with the option of two meetings in person at the Waterloo Centre. The dates of these sessions will be agreed at the beginning of the course.
Spanish Proficiency Conversation Unit 2
When & Where
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15 January 2025 - 12 March 2025 ( 16 hours, 8 weeks )
- Wednesday
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View course timetable
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Waterloo Centre
Quick Facts
- Availability Yes
- Course Code W24HMSL04B
- Suitable For 19 year olds and up are permitted on this course
What you will learn
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
- Understand, summarize and comment texts written in formal and informal registers
- Express your own views, react to the views of others, evaluate, develop independent discourse and participate in discussions using appropriate linguistic structures.
- Understand and comment on the topics covered during the session with increased accuracy
- Report and paraphrase what you hear, accurately manipulating the language
- Improve pronunciation and intonation. Increase linguistic autonomy and creativity
Cost
Class format and activities
This is a communicative course that uses a variety of methods and visuals adapted for online and in centre learning. The student-centred approach requires a variety of communicative, collaborative activities involving language manipulation: debates, discussions, and presentations. These activities are complemented by reading, reading for gist, and listening activities, including authentic as well as learning specific listening audio recordings and video-clips. Many of the reading and listening activities are completed as a preparatory activity before the lesson, so more online time is spent in collaborative follow-up activities and commentaries and specially designed tasks geared to consolidate new acquired vocabulary, foster confidence and improve pronunciation and intonation. Grammar and syntax are also included as communicative learning activities and normally complemented by written follow-up exercises. New more complex grammatical structures are gradually introduced in relation with specific topics of conversation or discussion. The study of a short literary text is offered in this course and a reading guide and questionnaire are provided to encourage analysis and evaluation. All the preparatory activities, video-clips and recordings required for the online lesson are uploaded in Microsoft Teams. Students are given regular feedback from the tutor, but self-correction and pair correction are also encouraged in a supportive environment. .
Entry requirements
Student enrolling in this course should have the ability to deal effectively and without much prompting with everyday situations. Also they should be able to discuss and give opinion on everyday matters and issues. Ability to describe events in temporal sequence, using the different past tenses with relative confidence is an advantage although the course will reinforce all previous knowledge. An incipient ability to evaluate and justify opinion is also required as well and an interest in current affairs and socio-cultural issues. Enthusiasm for the subject and commitment are also valuable assets as the course requires the students to be actively involved in knowledge and language acquisition: therefore time for prior preparation is also necessary in order to be actively involved in the online activities.
What you need to know before you enrol
The course will be delivered through remote classes online but two of the session (TBA) will be in person at Waterloo Centre You will need access to Teams and other platforms via a laptop or computer and Internet access. Excellent attendance and punctuality are required from all students. As self-study and preparation are important for progress, prior to each class students will be able to access the lesson plan uploaded in Teams ClassNotebook to revise and/or prepare, so they can actively develop and consolidate their knowledge and maximize participation during the lesson either working individually, in groups or in a plenary session. The participation in the students' Collaborative Space in Teams will be encouraged, so sharing stories, posting questions and generally keeping in touch, during the week and before the class, would compensate for the lack of the social contact normally offered by a classroom-based course
What you need
In order to access online resources for your course, you will need Internet access and a device. In certain special cases the College may be able to lend a laptop. Our IT Department would be able to guide and help you if you have problems accessing Teams. The text book Prisma Consolida C1 (Editorial Edinumen ISBN 84-95986–26-4), which could be obtained second hand, will be used as back up during the course, but it will not be the only or main resource: Other texts and articles will be provided and uploaded in Teams or sent by email. Also, please, bring with you to the course your enthusiasm and curiosity, as these are positively the main factors of success.
