Monday, June 20, 2011

Why Yoon's Classes?

You finally decided to take an action. So you bought a couple of language software. You subscribed to online resources. You attended private schools and public colleges. You got yourself a private tutor. You joined websites and forums.

It's fun. Things are going great. And then, things are not going great. Why isn't it going great?

I was there too. I am still there. It's frustrating. I thought about what's making it difficult. I knew what's needed to make it not difficult. I wished I could meet someone to help me with a kind of program I was looking for. But I just didn't find anyone who could.

So one day, I decided to come up with a program myself. After all, I had been teaching Korean language and culture for many years. I had a solution in my hands, at least for Korean language.

So here is the list of what sets my classes apart from others. I hope this is something you've been looking for. And I hope you decide to take classes from me and join the program.


CLASSES FOR ADULTS

We are not children. We are not teens. We no longer think like them any more. We don't learn like them any more. Our brains are wired differently now.

We have jobs. We have spouses/significant others. We have children, in-laws, friends, birthday parties to go to, weddings and funerals to attend, and hobbies to maintain. We lead busy lives.

We need programs designed for busy adults.



WE MEET.

Language software worked for me. But only in the beginning. It didn't take me -- and anyone that I know of -- beyond beginners level.

To learn the language, you must use it. You have to practice it with real people. So we meet and practice.

Long-distance student can meet us over the phone or via video chat.



PRACTICAL

We are not looking for academic study. We are looking to use the language and understand the culture, not academically but as a part of our daily lives. So we study something we can use, today

I am not promising that you will start speaking Korean today. I promise that you can start practicing it today. 

Wouldn't it be fun to practice "Water, please" at a Korean BBQ restaurant we go to after group classes?



SHORT-TERM

To take language classes at school, usually you must go to the campus every day. One hour a day. Add parking and driving time. During weekdays. Usually during day time. For one whole semester.

This schedule doesn't work for most of adults.

Classes we offer are short-term series, lasting 4 to 6 weeks only, usually on weekends, 2~3 hours a day. We even have 1-day intensives, packed with information and homework you can take home.

2 hours a day. For 4 weeks. You can do that, can't you?



INTENSIVE

We will not stretch out contents so that you must stay with us for a long time. We will push you, move forward and help you memorize expressions.



ONE GOAL AT A TIME

Each class and series has a clear goal or two. This way you can take only the classes that you want or need to take. Of course on the way to the goal, you learn other stuff too.


EASY TO RE-TAKE.

Because classes are short-term series, if you feel that you need a refresher, you can easily re-take them.

Because each series has clear goals, you know which one you want to re-take. And again and again.

Because classes are inexpensive, you can take them as many times as you want while keeping your wallet thick.



STUDY MATERIALS USED BY LOCAL SCHOOLS

We try to incorporate general standards for Korean proficiency tests and study materials used by local schools. This way, should you decide to take Korean proficiency test or want to get together with local students and study together, you will be ahead of the game.



LOW COST

I took a few private language schools too. Well, I taught at private language schools. So I know they are usually exceptional. The only downside is, they're expensive. Private language schools usually have decent short-term programs for adults. But most of people cannot afford to keep on paying the tuition. They're usually designed for corporates and business professionals who require high-quality, intensive and individualized sessions. The cost of tuition is proportional to that expectation.

For the classes we organize, we do everything we can to reduce the cost of learning. We do not necessarily meet in offices or classrooms. We meet at local coffee houses or donated spaces. We have volunteer assistants and teachers-in-training who come to the class to help you. We offer group classes or semi-private classes to share the cost.




STUDY GROUPS AND LANGUAGE EXCHANGES

Study group is not the class teachers prepare what they want to teach; it's the session you bring what you want to learn.You let us know what you want to study, and we will guide you and your study group through.

We also organize group language exchange, where you come and practice Korean with native Koreans who want to learn English from you in return. If you haven't tried it, you should join us at the next one!



CASUAL, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL EVENTS

To learn the language, you have to use it. So we organize casual and social events. We've had Korean foodie outings, member meet-and-greet, visits to museums and concerts, K-drama and movie day, and pretty much anything and everything you suggest!



PRIVATE TUTORING AND SEMI-GROUP CLASSES

If you decide that you prefer private tutoring or semi-group class (3 or less people per class), we're available to help you.



STAFF QUALIFICATIONS & IN-HOUSE TRAINING

Being a native speaker does not make him/her a good instructor. S/he needs to learn how to teach. So we screen volunteer instructors and train them.

Having a teaching credential does not make him/her a good member of the teaching team. So all the staff are required to sit in classrooms as assistants to understand you, what you want to learn, and how we as a team can make the program work for you.

As for Zean E Yoon, Executive Director of the KLCX/KoreanLA, she's been a localization specialist, teacher, and corporate trainer since late 1980. She taught at universities, trained instructors and consulted companies and government agencies. Yoon currently teaches privately, and consults schools and translation agencies in USA and Korea.

Associate instructors, assistants, and OJT-instructors are educated and trained in their own respectively fields. The team of instructors include volunteers who are Korean native speakers, trained in-house to enrich your experience.



SCHEDULE YOUR OWN SESSION
If you have Google account (Gmail, Picasa, YouTube, etc), you can schedule your own session here. You will receive e-mail confirmation within 24 days.



QUESTIONS?

Or suggestions? Found type-o's? Grammar errors? Click here and contact us!



No comments:

Post a Comment

We reserve a right to remove any comments that are deem to be inappropriate and at moderators' discretion. Thank you.

/* BEGIN GOOGLE ANALYTICS /* END GOOGLE ANALYTICS