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Dragonlady
Joined: 10 May 2004
Posts: 720
Location: Chillinfernow, Canada
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 Posted: Tue Feb 01, 2011 11:50 pm Post subject: |
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Samantha
Joined: 25 Oct 2003
Posts: 2038
Location: Mexican Riviera
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| Posted: Tue Feb 01, 2011 11:52 pm Post subject: |
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| ROFL!!! You have this knack for putting a humourous spin on otherwise less than humourous topics. |
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MotherF
Joined: 07 Jun 2010
Posts: 1450
Location: 17�48'N 97�46'W
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| Posted: Wed Feb 02, 2011 12:03 am Post subject: |
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 Because my boing is made my a workers cooperative. |
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Dragonlady
Joined: 10 May 2004
Posts: 720
Location: Chillinfernow, Canada
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| Posted: Wed Feb 02, 2011 12:07 am Post subject: |
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TeresaLopez
Joined: 18 Apr 2010
Posts: 601
Location: Mexico City
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| Posted: Wed Feb 02, 2011 12:19 am Post subject: |
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| MotherF wrote: |
Danone had to modify their TV commercials for Activia in the US, but run the same ones in Mexico that were pulled from the US for false claims, so Mexico is obviously more lenient on such claims in their TV commercials. |
Yes, I see your point as well. I take advertising with a grain of salt here, for the most part. I hate seeing crap food being advertised as nutricious, as well. I wonder whyn they make that claim if that is all that was changed? I doubt if many Mexicans know enough about Cambridge to be impressed anyway. |
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Dragonlady
Joined: 10 May 2004
Posts: 720
Location: Chillinfernow, Canada
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| Posted: Wed Feb 02, 2011 12:33 am Post subject: |
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MotherF
Joined: 07 Jun 2010
Posts: 1450
Location: 17�48'N 97�46'W
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| Posted: Wed Feb 02, 2011 12:59 am Post subject: |
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| Dragonlady wrote: |
| MotherF wrote: |
| Because my boing is made my a workers cooperative. |
I'm sorry, there seems to be a typing error. Did you mean 'because my boing is made by my workers cooperative' or 'because my boing has made my workers cooperative'...?
Jest requesting clarification. 
DL |
I perfer the second but meant something similar to the first. |
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Dragonlady
Joined: 10 May 2004
Posts: 720
Location: Chillinfernow, Canada
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| Posted: Wed Feb 02, 2011 1:31 am Post subject: |
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PlayadelSoul
Joined: 29 Jun 2005
Posts: 346
Location: Playa del Carmen
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| Posted: Wed Feb 02, 2011 2:17 am Post subject: |
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Some of you are focusing on the book while the ad claims that the curriculum was developed in conjunction with CUP. The authors of the series along with members of CUP and HH worked to develop extra material, an accompanying book, class outlines, assessments, etc. that are not found in other institutes or schools that use the same books. I really am shocked to see this confusion/lack of knowledge regarding "books" and "curriculum."
I like visiting this forum despite the "air of superiority" exhibited by some in regards to those of us who work in the "chain" schools. I usually let the barbs slide as I think this is, generally, a good place to pick up some information to use or share with my teachers. I might have to rethink my reliance on some of that info after what I have seen on this thread. If you consider a book to be your curriculum, you have some gaps in the basic fundamentals of language instruction. Just saying. |
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Enchilada Potosina
Joined: 03 Aug 2010
Posts: 344
Location: Mexico
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| Posted: Wed Feb 02, 2011 4:25 am Post subject: |
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| TeresaLopez wrote: |
| For the majority of people who can pay $200 or so pesos a week for classes, and no more, what is the answer? |
Go learn English for free on the internet. Classes when you want, you choose what you're going to study, no decrepit monolingual language teachers bumbling their way through the present perfect to such an extent that you will never understand it... language schools should be obselete by now.  |
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MotherF
Joined: 07 Jun 2010
Posts: 1450
Location: 17�48'N 97�46'W
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| Posted: Wed Feb 02, 2011 2:07 pm Post subject: |
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Playa, textbook publishers offer the same service to any school that buys more than 50 books from them. They have all that stuff on standby (the sublemental booklet, lesson planning, timing) and they send someone to your school to "train" your teachers. We are currently using CUP books, but have previously used from two other major publishers and all that is part of the standard agreement offered to ALL their customers. The publisher we currently work with owe us training at the moment, becuase they are having a hard time coming up with something suitable for a staff that is already qualified to do the job.
Sorry about the typos Do�a Drag�n I'm shooting these posts off between speaking exams.
EP, good point--now we can branch out into teaching people to be self-directed learners, and let them choose the content. |
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Phil_K
Joined: 25 Jan 2007
Posts: 2041
Location: A World of my Own
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| Posted: Wed Feb 02, 2011 4:40 pm Post subject: |
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| EP, good point--now we can branch out into teaching people to be self-directed learners, and let them choose the content. |
Hence, it is not the language school per se, as long as the business opportunity exists, but the fact that 99% of them are working to a tired and failed formula. Mentors, not teachers - performances, not exams - motivation, not frustration (and academic constipation) - that's the way to go. |
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MotherF
Joined: 07 Jun 2010
Posts: 1450
Location: 17�48'N 97�46'W
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| Posted: Wed Feb 02, 2011 5:01 pm Post subject: |
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That's why I'm glad I'm not in business Phil. The pressure to constantly present what you are doing as unique, one-of-a-kind, different, or better than the competition, when really what you are doing is not all that different from what the others are doing, that's not something I'm personally interested in.
But I think the world is a long way from being full of self directed learners, so language institutes are a long way from being obselete.
And playa, don't take it personally. I said you are obviously concerned about all aspects of your business, your employees and your customers. But CUP is also in the business of selling it's product--so don't be so quick to think they aren't selling as much of it as they possibly can. |
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mejms
Joined: 04 Jan 2010
Posts: 390
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| Posted: Wed Feb 02, 2011 6:13 pm Post subject: |
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| Phil_K wrote: |
| Quote: |
| EP, good point--now we can branch out into teaching people to be self-directed learners, and let them choose the content. |
Hence, it is not the language school per se, as long as the business opportunity exists, but the fact that 99% of them are working to a tired and failed formula. Mentors, not teachers - performances, not exams - motivation, not frustration (and academic constipation) - that's the way to go. |
The other side of the failing formula is the lack of seriousness of the students. It's a revolving door both for the school and student. Student leaves the school after 6 months, then starts again at the same level a year later. I doubt that students would really value a school enough that was in a different league from other schools. I say "enough" because IF a school offers something unique (and that's a big IF), it has got to charge more than the bottom-rung, commonplace places. Will students pay?
Furthermore, a business that is founded on a client continuing with them indefinitely for years and years (because in this business long-term attrition is as important as matriculation) is a tenuous business. When can the service be considered rendered and complete?
In short, I don't simply think that current language schools have a bad business model. I think a language school is a bad business model. This has been my sincere observation, for better or worse. |
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TeresaLopez
Joined: 18 Apr 2010
Posts: 601
Location: Mexico City
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| Posted: Wed Feb 02, 2011 6:36 pm Post subject: |
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| mejms wrote: |
In short, I don't simply think that current language schools have a bad business model. I think a language school is a bad business model. This has been my sincere observation, for better or worse. |
I mostly agree with that. The students I have had over the last few years that have made real, signigicant progress, have been my one on one students. One, I brought from a pretty basic level to a level where he could give presentations in English to an international group of Economists. This was over about a two year period. He was very motivated and did do a fair amount of work outside of class. Another student came to me with a level of 420 on the TOEIC, and in less than two years advanced to a 680. Also, very motivated, very intelligent man. But the uniting factor was that I was able to tailor the classes to exactly what they needed, and go as slow, or as fast, as they could progress. I also have a couple of small classes of 3 or 4 that have advanced quite a bit over the last 8 months, but they work in the travel industry and realize the need to improve their English, so again they have the motivation, and they do use English almost daily in their jobs. I have the freedom to do some customization of their materials, but not a lot, as the books were selected by the company, and their use is required by the contract. We have talked a lot about what doesn�t work, but what does work? What system of delivery should we be looking at? Not everyone can afford a private teacher. I agree with EP about learning on the Internet, and I have a number of sites that I send my students to for extra practice, but I think there is still the need for a human element, someone to give feedback and explain the WHY of mistakes, not just that there is a mistake. |
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