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Monmouthshire Community Learning / Spanish for Improvers

Spanish for Improvers

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 Tutor: Peter Hamilton

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

  • Recap on previous course to iron out any weaknesses.
  • Further progress with learning and mastering Spanish to a better level.
  • Greater focus on pronunciation, fluid conversation and use of advanced verb forms.
  • Awareness of consistent patterns and anomalies in the structure of the language.
  • Role playing recreating and navigating through typical day to day situations using knowledge of Spanish.
  • Presentations by individual class members and groups.
  • Exercises designed to improve written communication.
  • A look at Spanish in more academic contexts such as current affairs, politics, social issues.
  • Structured homework and regular revision of material already covered including some searching quizzes.
  • Questions and answers at the end of every session.

PRE-REQUISITES:

Motivation to enhance existing knowledge of Spanish.

Willingness to use initiative outside of class to research vocabulary, grammar and issues of interest in the Spanish speaking world.

OUTCOMES:

Furthering ability in Spanish providing confidence to advance studies to another level and/or use enhanced skills when visiting Spain or Latin America. The course will also continue to encourage curiosity about the history, culture and politics of the Spanish speaking world.

ANY MATERIALS/EQUIPMENT REQUIRED BY STUDENTS:

A good dictionary is recommended. Collins Concise Spanish Dictionary is very good. Also, a BBC course, Talk Spanish Complete, is available in a book and CD package (can be obtained from Amazon) and some content may be used from time to time during this course.

MEET THE TUTOR: Peter Hamilton

I have been teaching for Community Learning for nearly 2 years, having come from a 40 year plus career in insurance, specialising in Engineering and Construction. I spent a lot of time dealing with construction projects in Latin America and lived in Venezuela for a short spell. I hail from Manchester but spent over 30 years working in London as well as in Venezuela and Belgium. I now live near Trellech, having left Surrey over two years ago for the peace and quiet of the Welsh countryside.

Having now completed 3 Spanish for Beginners courses, I have developed the confidence and imagination to make my classes interesting and fun.

I learned Spanish in the course of my career where I often met people from Latin America or studied documents in Spanish. It also helped to have studied Latin and French at school.

I enjoy teaching as a fresh challenge with the opportunity to discover practical techniques of applying consistent patterns in the language. I also greatly appreciate the chance to keep my own Spanish from getting rusty.

I am currently undertaking a course whereby I will obtain the skills to teach foreign languages to learners with dyslexics.

I am also a fan of country, folk, blues and soul music and the latter classes involve a bit of music in Spanish.