Learning a new language is an important and integral part of our campers’ experience at Camp Suisse. To try and give you a more in-depth understanding of what we have to offer, we’re talking with Head of Languages, Susana Molina about what to expect from class this summer and why we should learn a new language:
Susana, what are some of the fun activities you have planned for everyone this summer?
Beyond teaching in real-life situations and our other lively, fun activities; this summer we are planning a full range of new activities including drama scenes, song contests, film productions and quizzes. All of these activities focus on building our campers’ confidence and improving their speaking skills.
What do you think are the best bits about learning a language at Camp Suisse?
At Camp Suisse our qualified teaching team focuses on practical conversation and confidence building through innovative activities which encourage participation.
How much can students expect to learn in this period?
At the end of a Camp Suisse language course, campers will have taken a big step forward in their knowledge of the language and the culture and they will definitely be more confident in the language.
Why is it so important to learn a language?
There are so many reasons why we should learn a foreign language! A future career opportunity is definitely a very good reason. Nowadays we live in a competitive world where language skills play an essential role.
In addition to this, the experience of travelling, of learning a different language and about its culture is deeply enriching. It helps broaden our horizons.
How large are your classes?
Our classes usually contain no more than 10 students. The small number of students in a class allows the teacher to create a close relationship with each student, thus enabling the teacher to identify the students’ strengths and weaknesses in the language.
How many hours will students spend learning a language?
The program automatically includes 15 hours per two-week session or 9 hours per one-week session of foreign language tuition in Spanish, French, German or English. In addition to this our language teachers are also involved in activities helping campers to be immersed in a linguistic environment during sports, activities and excursions.
Will lower level students be placed in the same class as higher level students?
On the first day of each camp session, we run a variety of relevant and carefully planned language tests. These allow teachers to meet the campers and to allocate them to a class according to their language level and age. At Camp Suisse we adopt the European Levels as a reference framework and therefore our courses range from levels ‘beginner’ to C1. At the end of each camp session students are presented with an award certificate showing the level they have attained. You can find out more about our language levels here.
If you’d like to find out more about the language courses on offer at our children’s camp this summer, please contact us for more details.