| Pages in topic: < [1 2] | Callan method Thread poster: Deschant
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muratozek (X)
Local time: 13:47
| About Callan Method | Apr 23, 2009 |
if you ask me does callan method work? I can say Yes, it works!
I went to a callan school and saw the method i think it is best method for learning English.
you could see something about callan method at http://www.myenglishteacher.org Callan is better than the others because you always try to speak English in this method and there is a little grammar.
| | | | | Callan English? Excellent!! | Jul 29, 2009 |
I studied English at a Callan School a few years ago and the results couldn't be better. PET FCE and CAE with merit. I took CPE later on and I just studied on my own.
It requires a lot of hard work, very intensive but rewarding.
Traditional English schools don't accept the method are lying and those who don't accept the method are not professional and they're lazy!!
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Ive been teaching it for a while and it definitely works. I think the strength of it lies in its focus. Students learn a lot over one hour, and then repeat it until there is no doubt that they know it. The prepositions etc are built into the phrases used so you see how the word works in a sentence and it is really quite a bit more dynamic than for example doing one unit a week from another more accepted textbook. This is definitely one of the best things about it. Teaching more 'traditionally' y... See more Ive been teaching it for a while and it definitely works. I think the strength of it lies in its focus. Students learn a lot over one hour, and then repeat it until there is no doubt that they know it. The prepositions etc are built into the phrases used so you see how the word works in a sentence and it is really quite a bit more dynamic than for example doing one unit a week from another more accepted textbook. This is definitely one of the best things about it. Teaching more 'traditionally' you have to try much harder to keep your focus and use your own examples. And then you also have to really remember the students level and might not know what has been taught before, so are constantly grading your own language. It takes zero prep time and you arent likely to get caught up ina complex lecture about grammar...
The examples, although sometimes bizarre can be very vivid and memorable as Callan teachers will be able to tell you.
It focuses heavily on pronunciation too so thats good for lots of nationalities who have studied English but never been in prolonged contact with a native speaker (Spanish amongst many others), and the fact that speaking is done for about 80% of the time means everyone practices speaking. It is measured out equally so therefore there is little room for more outgoing members stealing the others time.
As a teacher it gets satifying when youve been doing the same stuff for a week, slowly increasing the speed until youre asking the questions at full, breakneck speed and getting perfect responses. This is another plus - Even the beginners are trrained to understand, and speak in English at a breakneck speed ie as a native speaker. You get students coming in with years of study behind them who cant understand when you speak at a normal, native-speaker pace.
Also, there is actually plenty of room for creative answers in the questions and if you do choose to veer off slightly plenty of topics of conversation built into the book.
Finally it's worth mentioning that the pace and structure of the classes mean youre less likely to get yourself into a 20 minute debate about grammar, and more can actually be learnt.
[Edited at 2009-09-02 23:46 GMT]
[Edited at 2009-09-02 23:49 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Callan Method works, but it isn't perfect. | Feb 23, 2013 |
Hello, folks.
I have noticed that this post is from more than 5 years ago, but it still comes up on Google when you search for some information about the Callan Method.
I have registered simply to provide my view of the method. I am an English teacher in Brazil and have been using this method for a bit over a year. I have taught about (and am still teaching a great part of the) 40 - 50 students. Most of them in private classes.
So, is the method good? Ye... See more Hello, folks.
I have noticed that this post is from more than 5 years ago, but it still comes up on Google when you search for some information about the Callan Method.
I have registered simply to provide my view of the method. I am an English teacher in Brazil and have been using this method for a bit over a year. I have taught about (and am still teaching a great part of the) 40 - 50 students. Most of them in private classes.
So, is the method good? Yes!
Is it perfect? Nope.
Does it work? Yes!
Should I try it? YES!
Is it worth doing the ENTIRE course? Yes and no.
First off, I would like to say that the English language has some similarities to Portuguese, so students don't have as much difficulty learning some things (like the articles "a" and "the" as stated by a Polish member in this post) and they can actually relate pretty well to the way they are taught (but that's because I adapt part of the class - I'll explain that later). Other things just don't make sense for them, but every culture and language is different, so that's acceptable.
So, what's good about the method?
It's a mechanical way of learning. Just this point simplifies A LOT for someone who is learning English from scratch. A person can go from knowing nothing to knowing 500 contextualized words in only 20-30 classes.
Less grammar rules to learn, means more time practicing and getting a feel for how it works.
Since the method focuses on learning words by most frequent/important to less frequent/important (with some exceptions, of course), the first 500 words that a student learns will enable them to already start to understand a few songs, read some simple things, notice some parts of a movie dialog, etc.
All that in only 20-30 classes? Yeah. And that's pretty amazing. Here in Brazil, a student learning the traditional way has to invest about 1-2 years to achieve something like that.
I have a student who, after he learnt his first 500 words, he participated in a meeting with the vice-president of the company and a client, and he understood EVERYTHING that went on. He had done 2 classes a week for only about 3 months. The BIG question: did he speak? No, he didn't, but he understood everything and that was more than satisfying for him. If it takes 1 - 2 years to achieve his level of understanding and he achieved it in only 3 months, you can bet he was pretty happy about it.
Another one did 1 class a week for 6 months and he did a placement test just to "try it out" in a school and they said he would be in the intermediate level of their course, meaning he had learnt in 6 months -1 class a week- what their students learn in 1.5 years doing 2 classes a week. Can you imagine the size of this smile when he got the results?
(By the way, students here take about 6-8 years to become an English speaker. Not many achieve fluency in those years though. They just become a foreigner English speaker. That's how it is in traditional method here.)
The method does seem to replicate a child's way of learning, meaning, in the beginning, a child repeats what others say and he doesn't understand anything. Soon, he begins to notice things like "Oh... this is how I ask for my bottle... this is how I get candy... this is how I ask for food... etc"
Soon, he is speaking and understanding. After that, his parents put him in school and he learns to read and write. So now he speaks, understands, reads and writes. Only a few years later is that he starts learning real grammar. And that's exactly how the method tends to work.
Well, if it's that good, why isn't it perfect? Because after you learn about 1500 words, you already speak English and English isn't the problem now. Making the language yours is the problem. Students start to WANT to be free and start giving their own responses and in their own way, but the method holds them back in this aspect.
BUT this can work better if the teacher is less strict and only cares if they use the new vocabulary learnt, meaning "Answer whichever way you'd like. Just make sure to include the new words in it (and don't just give simple answers, be creative. That's why I'm giving you the option of making your own answer)."
Also, I do speak in Portuguese with my students. My focus is to have them understand English. I only begin to speak 100% in English after they have learnt 1,000 words. This simplifies a lot for them and I am sure they are understanding 90%-100% of all that goes on throughout the first 4 stages.
There are many other good things about the method and only one or two other bad things, but I'd like to say that the results my students have been achieving have been very rewarding. Some have traveled and have gotten along just fine, others have had meetings and participated giving great feedback, others have contracts with other traditional method schools and they come to me so I can fix their pronunciation, etc. Many many satisfying results.
So, SHOULD I TRY IT!?
Yes, most definitely. Try to use it to teach if you're a teacher or learn with it if you're a student. I translated the first Lesson to Japanese 2 weeks ago. Boy, am I learning Japanese hahaha =]
Mr. Callan has created a great way of learning a language. They have updated the method just last year and it became better and has fewer "crazy" questions and many new updated examples.
Give it a try. It works.
If you need anything, feel free to contact me. I will be glad to help you in using the method or maybe even teaching you, a friend or family member, with it, if you'd like (well maybe not you, because if you could read all this, you most likely know English haha).
My website: www.imperiumidiomas.com.br
My e-mail: [email protected]
Have a good day, folks. Hope this has cleared up a few things for you.
P.S. And what if "even a parrot could learn like this"? Wouldn't you be considered a genius if you created a way to teach a language so easily that even an animal could learn (and in a quarter of the time)?  ▲ Collapse
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