How To Really Learn Spanish - by Ricardo González, Founder & Executive Director of Bilingual America  

Table of Contents
Forward - Dr. Jane Madsen Introduction
Chapter 1 - The Importance of Methods
Chapter 2 - Assess Your Abilities
Chapter 3 - The Fruit and the Root
Chapter 4 - The Power of Patterns
Chapter 5 - You're Not A Native...All About Immersion
Chapter 6 - The Four Secrets To Long Term Retention
Chapter 7 - The Cozy Comfortable Classroom
Chapter 8 - Eight Reasons Why Telephone Tutoring is Better Than Face to Face Tutoring
Chapter 9 - What To Expect From a Great Tutor
Chapter 10 - What To Expect From Great Course Materials
Chapter 11 - Mastering Pronunciation, Speech Flow and Comprehension
Chapter 12 - Put Your Products on the Shelf!
Chapter 13 - What to Do When You Already Speak Some Spanish
Chapter 14 - Cultural Training and Language
Closing Thoughts


Chapter 1 - The Importance of Methods

I cannot overstate the importance of methods. Methods are the key to your learning process. You must understand what you are going to do before you start doing it. So, with that in mind, allow me to introduce you to the importance of methods in Spanish training.

• A learning process is only as good as the methods that are implemented.
• A teacher is only as good as the system that he or she uses.
• A student will learn only as well as the teaching method allows.

If I bought a "Spanish Language Course" at my local book store that had dialogues of "Gabriel and Andrea in a burrito shop," that is exactly how good a teacher I would be and that is exactly what you would learn. You would be able to order burritos, but you would not be able to negotiate a business deal in Latin America.

Unfortunately, many people make the mistake of choosing a school based on pricing, location or social environment. In fact, the first question many people ask when considering a language school is, "Where are you located, when are your classes and how much does it cost?"

Sorry, amigo, wrong questions! A school should be chosen based primarily on methods because the method will determine the result.

Learning is primarily about what you do, not where you are or who you are with, and certainly not how beautiful or nice is your teacher! The fact is that most teachers are great people. The problem is that being great people does not make for great results; great learning systems make for great results.

There are two types of methods used by schools. They are:

• Learning Methods
• Logistical Methods


Learning methods include things like:

• How are memory systems developed and implemented?
• How and when should pronunciation skills be taught?
• How do you develop speech flow?
• How is grammar and structure most easily and comprehensively learned?
• How is comprehension developed?
• Should you be introduced to native rate of speed immediately?
• Should you learn in a dialogue based, immersion method or through a bilingual approach? Is there a balance? If so, what is it?


Logistical methods include things like:

• Will you take a group class or one-on-one tutoring?
• When will you take instruction? Can you consistently make that time?
• How frequently do you work with a tutor or instructor?
• How much time do you need to invest in course materials?
• Can you leverage the use of course materials when traveling?
• Do you take tutoring face to face or by telephone? Why?
• Can you learn on-line?
• Can you use audio tapes or videos?

Schools can mimic another school's logistical methods, they cannot, however, easily mimic proprietary and proven learning methodologies. For example; any school can offer one-on-one tutoring, however, no other school can offer tutoring with the Bilingual America training systems.

So, which institute should you choose to teach you Spanish? The answer is simple — the one with the best methods!

The key I would like you to remember in this chapter is —

"You should choose your Spanish provider primarily based on the methods that are implemented in your learning process. This includes both learning and logistical methods."

Of course, in order for you to determine the validity of the methods, you must understand the logic and purpose of the methods implemented. You must learn before you sign up for a course somewhere. This, of course, is why you are reading this book.