Listening and Speaking in English

Callan Method, Step One

This is the student’s first contact with the method. In this phase the teacher helps the student to construct answers, as well as suggesting vocabulary, to help overcome initial difficulties.

In the classes that follow, the three steps combine to provide global training on the different areas of learning a language.

The following aspects represent the foundation on which the first step is based:

Guided conversation

Being a conversational method, where students are encouraged to speak English from their first day, the teacher-student dialogue is based on question-answer guided conversations. This structure offers more freedom in answering as soon as students increase their vocabulary and work on their grammar, and feel more confident in their ability.

Avoid translation

When incorporating new concepts, the teacher starts with their pronunciation, explains the meaning of the words and then places them in the context of the questions, so the phonetics and different uses of the words are really clear for the students. This way, words can be learnt without being translated or written, which reduces confusion with similar terms in the students’ own language and helps to ensure and maintain correct pronunciation.

Speed and fluency

Class speed increases as the students acquire fluency because it helps to sustain concentration for the duration of the class and simulates the speed of a real conversation. This is reinforced by the rotation of teachers from different English-speaking areas, so that students get used to different accents and intonations.

First step Second step Third step