Learn Spanish on your own through Challenge #1

Description of the course

     Would you like to take a walk in the forest to watch birds? What do you think about going to fish by using a fishing rod and bait? 

     Challenge 1 was designed for those who enjoy the company of a good book. People with some available time for new learnings just for the sake of enjoying it. This course is the result of a deep reflection on how to respond to the need to learn Spanish on your own through an effective self-study course both in each class and in the course as such, spending a few minutes daily online. If you do not know Spanish but feel interested in learning it on your own, this course is a good starting point. 

The effectiveness in each class

     The effectiveness in each class of this self-study course can be demonstrated in the didactic it contains. Because this is a self-study course, it is necessary to have available the knowledge in each class without depending on a tutor. For this reason, in the first part you find the necessary vocabulary for each class both in English and Spanish on flashcards to memorize it. In addition, this course considers the grammar approach as the best to the self-study of a new language, so the first part of every class includes the Grammar Explanation, with clear examples that reflect the content, and also with the option for you to write your own examples related to your real life following the grammar patterns learned.

     Another language skill included in each class is Listening Comprehension. The content of each class was recorded in an audio that has its own practice to complete. You can pause the podcast to fill in the blanks using your own device, and then repeat the complete practice along with the audio. Also, within this part of listening comprehension, you have the ease to download the practice on your own device through a pdf document, in case it is useful for you.

     On the other hand, learning is reinforced with self-assessment, so in Reading Comprehension you find 3 questions about the class content with 3 answer options. You can select the best answer and compare it against the answer key.

     To finish an effective class learning Spanish on your own, a scaffold for the next class is necessary. Vocabulary for the next class is included on flashcards in The extra mile to memorize it.

The effectiveness in the course

     Each class was designed with both pre- and post- content in mind, so there is interrelated and coherent content.

     In addition, effectiveness involves not only the content but also its design. Because the course is self-study, it was necessary to include features such as cards with flipping movements to memorize vocabulary, or items that disappear when clicked on. Also, the ease of fill in the blanks using the device itself was included, selecting the correct answer among multiple options, conversation bubbles when the content is an interaction, podcasts and downloadable pdf documents, animated conjugation charts, access to vocabulary learned at any time as well as access to the entire index, instructions with options to appear and disappear, and consistent animations and colors throughout the course.

     To achieve this, some HTML and CSS codes were used to program the pages and their functions. Also, the course was designed and hosted on ourspanishlearning.com, a website that is protected by Cloudflare, it is updated frequently, following all the security steps that it knows of to keep it safe. This guarantees security and privacy, and the possibility to make improvements when necessary.

     At the end of this course, the student will be able to greet and use courtesy phrases, conjugate regular verbs ending in ar, er, ir in the simple present tense, affirm, deny, and ask questions, conjugate and use the verbs “ser”, “estar”, “tener”, “haber”, and “hacer”, as well as “saber” and “conocer”.