Koumoullis Language Centre

About Koumoullis Language Centre ►Language Courses for Adults The Koumoullis Language Centre runs a wide range of Greek, English, Arabic and Turkish Language Courses for adults to suit the needs of people from a variety of backgrounds. ►Building on a wealth of knowledge and extensive experience in teaching languages spanning almost half a century, we aim to assist our students in developing practical language skills that will allow them to communicate effectively in their chosen language. In all courses the emphasis is on acquiring effective communicational skills. The basic philosophy behind the teaching of all four languages at our establishment is that learning a foreign language is not a matter of acquiring a set of rules and building a large vocabulary. A student’s mastery of the language is ultimately measured by how well they can use it in public, not by how much they know about it. Having this in mind our students are taught each pattern as a way of saying something, not as the exemplification of an abstract rule. The basic aim behind this approach is to enable students to gradually build up language skills by providing them with material which has been integrated and structurally graded in order of increasing difficulty and complexity. The patterns are interrelated and presented in a carefully ordered sequence so that students are in a position to apply what they have learnt. Students acquire a little information at a time and make meaningful statements.In order to ensure a high level of quality and effectiveness of the courses we keep the number of students in each group to a minimum (not more than 8 in each group). In this way each individual student has the opportunity to practise orally and use what he or she has learned as much as possible, thus making the learning process more successful. ►Teaching Staff All teachers are fully qualified, experienced native language speakers, with a university graduate and postgraduate degree and specialist training in teaching foreign languages. ►Certificates At the end of each course students who wish to get a certificate are asked to take a test. Students who do not require a certificate will be issued a confirmation of attendance. ►Why the Koumoullis Language Centre Our commitment to excellence, extensive experience and quality of service is evident in the number of organisations that have chosen to entrust their language learning needs to us. Such organisations include: The UN Secretariat, the UN Development Programme, the World Council of Churches, the British Army, the British High Commission, the American Embassy, the French Embassy, the German Embassy, the Russian Embassy, the Irish Embassy, the Italian Embassy, the British Council and the French Cultural Centre. Our Language Courses run throughout the year. Teaching takes place in a friendly, comfortable environment with students from a wide range of nationalities. Greek Language Courses at the KLC ►Beginner to Intermediate Course (Levels 1&2) This course assumes no prior knowledge of Greek. Course Objectives 1.To provide a complete audio-visual course for adults who will be learning Greek as a foreign language over a period of 10 weeks. 2.To teach students to use Greek, not to teach about it. 3.To train students in all four skills: understanding, speaking, reading and writing - in that order. 4.To provide students with interrelated patterns which have been graded in order of increasing difficulty and complexity and which are presented in a carefully ordered sequence. 5.To train students to use new patterns by practising and applying what they have learnt. The presentation is entirely audio-visual at the beginning, but audio-visual-lingual after students have made some progress. Students acquire a little information at a time and make meaningful statements. No grammatical terminology is used. Students are taught each pattern as a way of saying something, not as the exemplification of an abstract rule. The basic aim behind this instruction is to enable students to use a number of common, everyday patterns, rather than to build up a huge vocabulary. The total number of content words is about 1500. The vocabulary is introduced in different contents and is drilled intensively in over 300 patterns and variants. Upon completion of this immersion program, students can expect to feel comfortable speaking in a variety of situations and to have gained a solid understanding of the grammatical, structural and cultural aspects of the language. ►Intermediate to Advanced Course (Level 3) As with Levels 1&2, the aim is to teach students to use Greek, not to teach them various sets of rules with no practical application. The aim of Level 3 is to enable students to gradually go deeper into the structure of the language and use more complex patterns, enriching at the same time their vocabulary. This, again, is done in a structured and carefully graded way, starting where Level 2 finishes. ►Advanced Greek Language Course (Level 4) This Course penetrates deeper into the language and brings students in touch with complex constructions and vocabulary of a high standard. ►Greek Language Writing Course This is targeted for students who are already quite fluent in speaking Greek, but have not had much contact with the written language. ►Types of English Language Courses Available Short and long term English classes run frequently throughout the year, from September to July, giving you the opportunity to choose a course that perfectly suits your learning needs and daily routine. Students are trained in the four basic language skills: understanding, speaking, reading and writing, according to the needs of each course. ►General English Language Courses (Levels 1-5) Course Objectives 1.To provide a complete course for adults who will be learning English as a foreign language over a period of 10 weeks. 2.To teach students to become fluent in English using a range of different constructions graded in complexity. 3.To train students in all four skills: understanding, speaking, reading and writing - in that order. 4.To provide students with interrelated patterns which have been graded in order of increasing difficulty and complexity and which are presented in a carefully ordered sequence. 5.To train students to use new patterns by practising and applying what they have learnt. To prompt them to speak as much as possible so that they get the maximum opportunity for fluency practice. To work on key areas to help develop the students’ fluency and accuracy - pronunciation, vocabulary, idioms. ►Business English Language Course In today’s international business environment it is essential that you have good English skills. If you are looking for a job at the moment, this course will help you enrich your CV and give you an edge over the competition. If you are already in a career, you will find that our Business English Course can help you in your daily business dealings, opening doors to new career possibilities. ►English Language Exam Preparation Courses We offer a wide range of examination courses to suit every need. Whether you are interested in taking an IELTS, IGCSE or TOEFL exam to enter a university or wish to study towards obtaining another internationally-recognised qualification certificate, we can provide the right exam preparation course for you. ►Arabic and Turkish Language Courses We offer short and long term Arabic and Turkish Language courses to suit the needs of professionals who wish to get an edge over the competition or people who wish to enrich their language knowledge. ►Private Courses:We also offer private courses that match your individual goals and time schedule. ►English Language Courses for Children Our Centre has been specialising in the teaching of English to children for almost half a century. Since 1968, we have taught English as a Second Language to more than 12000 children with quality of instruction as our guiding principle. Our commitment to excellence and vast experience is evident in the number of students who have graduated from our institution excelling in their use of the English language and the excellent results they have produced in their exams. Children will learn more in a friendly atmosphere This is something that we at the KLC strongly believe. For this reason our lessons are designed to be relaxed and fun. Our classrooms are places where hard work is carried out in informal and relaxed settings. Children’s ability and motivation will improve in a classroom with a great atmosphere. Children feel more confident using English and in this way they speak as much as they can. In order to ensure a high level of quality and effectiveness in learning we keep the number of students in each group to a minimum. In this way each child has the opportunity to practise orally and use what he or she has learned as much as possible, thus making the learning process more successful. Our philosophy is that learning a foreign language is not a matter of acquiring a set of rules. A student’s mastery of the language is ultimately measured by how well they can use it, not by how much they know about it. Having this in mind our students are taught English as a way of saying something, not as the exemplification of an abstract rule. Learning is primarily done through speaking. Our teachers follow a Communicative Method syllabus working on all language skills. Children are encouraged to participate in classroom discussions, work in small groups, in pairs or individually. Our teachers are native speakers of English with years of experience. They guide, support and build the children’s confidence and give parents feedback. Reports on the students’ progress are sent twice in the school year – December and June- but if at any point in the meantime we think it necessary to inform the parents on any change in their children’s progress or behaviour this is promptly done.