The first day of classes
My first class started at 9am today. I am in the A1/A2 group and our teacher is lovely Kirsten. The group is so multinational it's hard to believe. We have the US, Izrael, Nigeria, Russia, Belize, China, Brazil, and Poland. Nine people determined to learn and speak Dutch.
The classroom is located in one of the holiday houses in the resort (I'll tell you about the resort soon!), which actually makes it quite convenient, as there is a kitchen and a bathroom just right there. We work with a book called Het Lesboek, which is the first edition of a book created especially for this course. The book looks great! Bart and Kirsten did a great job.
The lesson is a mix of grammar, listening and speaking exercises. So quite standard. But one thing makes this course stand out. I attended lots of language courses over the years and the common practice was for a teacher to spend a big portion of each lesson going over grammar and explaining it. As a result, little time was left to practice. They do it differently in the Dutch Summer School. You prepare for the classes in advance and study the grammar topics and the vocabulary ahead of your class. Because of that, everyone is familiar with the topic even before the lesson starts so we can devote almost 100% of the time to practice. The prep takes a bit of time - 3 to 4 hours - but that's fine since we are all here to do one thing: learn Dutch.
Kirsten also gives each of us a really cool gadget - a badge which reads "Ik leer nederlands", which means "I'm learning Dutch". We are meant to wear it every time we go to town or anywhere outside. It might seem like a weird gadget, but apparently, it works wonders. There are a couple of people in the group who have been to the Dutch Summer School before and they swear by this badge. Apparently, people talk to you slower and make effort to help you when they see you wear it. I haven't used it yet, but will definitely wear it next time I go shopping!
The classroom is located in one of the holiday houses in the resort (I'll tell you about the resort soon!), which actually makes it quite convenient, as there is a kitchen and a bathroom just right there. We work with a book called Het Lesboek, which is the first edition of a book created especially for this course. The book looks great! Bart and Kirsten did a great job.
The lesson is a mix of grammar, listening and speaking exercises. So quite standard. But one thing makes this course stand out. I attended lots of language courses over the years and the common practice was for a teacher to spend a big portion of each lesson going over grammar and explaining it. As a result, little time was left to practice. They do it differently in the Dutch Summer School. You prepare for the classes in advance and study the grammar topics and the vocabulary ahead of your class. Because of that, everyone is familiar with the topic even before the lesson starts so we can devote almost 100% of the time to practice. The prep takes a bit of time - 3 to 4 hours - but that's fine since we are all here to do one thing: learn Dutch.
Kirsten also gives each of us a really cool gadget - a badge which reads "Ik leer nederlands", which means "I'm learning Dutch". We are meant to wear it every time we go to town or anywhere outside. It might seem like a weird gadget, but apparently, it works wonders. There are a couple of people in the group who have been to the Dutch Summer School before and they swear by this badge. Apparently, people talk to you slower and make effort to help you when they see you wear it. I haven't used it yet, but will definitely wear it next time I go shopping!
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