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How the pandemic changed foreign language courses

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How the pandemic changed foreign language courses
We believe it or not, it's been over a year since the world has lived in a pandemic situation. Our cohabitation with a crown has gone through many different stages and we are likely to survive even before we return to what is called the normal existence. Another question is whether such a return is possible and whether the world after the pandemic will be the same. Either way, the answers to these questions are all in the future. The fact is, covid-19 changed our lives and this had its reflections in both social and economic terms. 

Change of lifestyle

No matter what part of the world you live in, you are probably already used to restrictions and periodic, more regular or stricter anti-epidemiology measures. We will not comment on the extreme opinions regarding the virus, but it is a fact that it has completely changed our lifestyle. All events related to gathering many people in one place are already undesirable, and most of the time even forbidden. In this column they present some of our most frequent entertainments such as cinema, theater, concerts, restaurants and bars. Or daily activities like going to work and school. Masks and disinfectants are our new best friends and mandatory accessories. All these restrictions are of course aimed at protecting our health, at least until an effective drug is found or massively build immunity against the new virus. The rule of keeping distance increasingly determines our daily activities and transfers most of them online, of course, whenever possible. Fortunately, modern technology provides plenty of opportunities for learning to become online, including learning a foreign language.

How the pandemic of online trainings affected

It is difficult to say exactly how popular online training was before the pandemic. But the fact is that at present it is the main way to learn a foreign language. However, how to find out which of the services offered is better or at least more suitable for you. Let us try to help by navigating you, how many online learning there are and what their advantages and disadvantages are:
  1. Self-study with video lessons done. Some schools offer developed video lessons, following which you can study without the help of a teacher. Pluss.:
    • you determine the amount of lessons you want to watch in one day;
    • You determine the time in which you will look, even at night;
    • you can watch as many times as you want, within your subscription; Minus:
    • lack of a teacher to comment with if you do not understand or find it difficult;
    • lack of exercise per hour;
    • lack of an ongoing assessment of your progress.
  2. Video connection via Skype, Zoom or other application. Thus work both schools and private teachers. Pluss.:
    • working with a teacher and you have live connection during the lesson;
    • you receive advice, guidance and corrections during the course of the study;
    • the pace and approach can be changed in the course of work according to your requirements or needs. Minus:
    • install an additional application;
    • lack of appropriate tools for displaying the study material, e.g. a whiteboard;
    • poor quality of the connection due to application itself.
  3. A platform with free access to classrooms with a teacher. This is a very common method of working at language schools. Once you pay the relevant fee, you can join all rooms where you wish during the day. You also get access to study materials such as textbooks, exercise or ready video lessons. In some schools access is restricted only within the level you have recorded, in others you have access to all levels in the respective language. Pluss.:
    • abundance of resources;
    • connection to a live teacher;
    • the possibility to join you at a convenient time or in a desired course;
    • the ability to communicate with other students and do joint exercises. Minus:
    • lack of consistency and systematicness in the learning process;
    • working with different lecturers, which is an obstacle to the objective assessment of your progress or problem in the absorption of material;
    • not always in your time, there is an open room that corresponds to your level of material already taken;
    • you will often work with completely different students in the rooms where you are involved, which excludes the possibility of creating a certain atmosphere and proximity that help overcome various barriers to communication;
    • access to different levels may prevent you from concentrating on the correct upgrade of the new material.
  4. Platform with access to a specified course - group or individual. There are not many schools that use this model of training yet. But it is mostly close to attendance training, because in it you get the maximum possible individual approach. If you work in a group, the schedule of classes is pre-defined, you are always in the same group with the same teacher. If you work individually, you choose the days and hours for visiting a virtual classroom and working with one teacher. Pluss.:
    • you have the possibility of group or individual training (See differences) in which the only difference with attendance is that you do not travel to a particular study hall, but work in front of your computer at home;
    • working in a group or individually on a pre-established plan and you do not have to repeat or miss material;
    • you have access only to your course and all the study materials in it, which focuses your attention on the set goal;
    • working with a teacher enables him to monitor your personal progress, complement and expand the taught material according to your needs and abilities. Minus:
It is a classic form of training and probably its only drawback is that we cannot promise a magical effect, for example, that you will speak English in 3 weeks. It takes work, perseverance and motivation to learn any foreign language. But systematic work with all the components of the language definitely gives excellent results. 

What else changed?

Today, more than ever, we are aware of how much our lives depend on modern technology. The computer and the Internet are vital in almost every aspect of our daily activities - learning, work and social contacts. The good news is that the time that the lack of daily travel from and to work saves us can now be put into something useful - such as language learning, for example. The forms of online training are quite many, and above we list the main ones. You will choose the one that is best suited for you. And if you still hesitate to choose at sea from offered forms of training, here are some more tips:
  • Time always means experience! Take a look at the history of schools you have been studying - how long they exist and when they offer online training. 
  • New ideas are a guarantee of flexibility! Find out when you offer online training. If the cove crisis was their only motivator, that's hardly a good testimonial.
  • Compare the prices, but what you get for your money! The price is not always a quality guarantee, so study and judge correctly, for example, whether 10 video lessons ready will have the effect of online group training from 60 tuitions. The time? 
 - Bet on the combination of experience and innovation! When the long experience combines with new technologies and modern needs, the result will be more than satisfactory. If you want to feel firsthand how this works best, sign up for a course at the Language School . 
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