Finding Inspiration in Every Learner
YourLingoPal is an online inclusive language school for young and adult learners. Considering the rapid technological progress and the ICT being integrated into education, there is a necessity to update the teaching methods used in classrooms and introduce new techniques and teaching approaches that raise every learner's language learning motivation within the classroom environment.
Why YourLingoPal?
YourLingoPal offers a high-quality standard of individualised lessons where the learner emerges in a linguistic environment and perceives the lesson as an experience rather than a conventional lesson. The constant interaction between YourLingoPals and the learner differentiates greatly from that of conventional classes. We deconstruct the typical student-teacher relationship in which the teacher is the authority and ultimate source of knowledge and the students, in spite of their great diversity and varied life experiences, are merely passive recipients.
Our philosophy stresses that a language is not something that can be transmitted best through direct instruction, “teaching”, but that the learner would better be immersed in it, not unlike children learning their mother tongue from an early age. Students are no longer glued to their chairs, quiet and obedient. They are now able to learn with all of their senses and explore the context in a much more human and realistic manner.
About Learners with Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLDs)
Learners diagnosed with Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLDs) face difficulties during the foreign language learning process. Our goal is to create an efficient and applicable teaching method by using a multi-sensory approach through ICT in an effort to motivate the young dyslexic students in their foreign language learning process. Our teachers are equipped with skills and knowledge to teach learners in an inclusive setting.
According to Reid (2007) the multi-sensory approach makes use of “visual, auditory, tactile and kinaesthetic modalities” which can simply be interpreted as “hear it, say it, see it and write it”. This can be accomplished through adaptive learning by the use of an online tool, for instance a digital storytelling tool that uses comics and storyboards, an engaging online quiz or game with cards etc.
Each learner has his or her own pre- dispositions and dispositions during the learning process and is a unique human being composed by his or her individual personality and preferences and should be treated that way. Thus, the educational level and learning pace of each student differs and should also be taken under consideration. The class should work much like an athletic team in which each athlete member contributes to the team by making good use of his or her own capabilities and should, therefore, be treated uniquely.
Lessons for adult learners
While the adult learners are involving themselves in the process of acquiring a second language, as adults they have already developed a learning attitude which they share during the learning experience. Hence, a critical point is the willingness of each student to put aside his or her prior learning attitude and to overcome his or her bewilderment caused by approaching a new language for the first time.
A new foreign language can be difficult to learn but there are always ways to stay motivated. YourLingoPals always seek authenticity and encourage authentication in the classroom. We prioritise the creation of a low-anxiety environment for adult learners as they invest their precious free time and and it is our goal to allow them to enjoy themselves while educating at the same time.
