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Our Methods

Let's start with a fact: there is no miraculous method of learning English. There is no revolutionary learning system which would be superior to others, not in every respect. All methods have their undeniable advantages and disadvantages. One works better in developing certain skills, and in case of others is useless or even counterproductive. Hence our approach: Principled Eclecticism.

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Prinicipled Eclecticism with a high dose of Dogme ELT

The mysterious name Principled Eclecticism is based on the belief that there is no single perfect method that could be used to teach a second language.

It was not the Grammar Translation  Method, nor isthe Callan method.Not even Communicative Approach, probably now most popular in language schools, could claim to be the perfect way of teaching a foreign language. Principled Eclecticism  is the art of choosing the right, most efficient ways to achieve individual goals, instead of following blindly the latest ELT fad. The word eclectic refers to the variety of methods and approaches of teaching depending on the lesson objectives and individual differences of students. Principled means that learning activities must be guided by giving appropriate importance to various components of language learning rather than separating them into separate bits of grammar and vocabulary.

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Principled Eclecticism begins with two important stages:

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  • detailed analysis of students, their objectives and learning styles

  • selection of optimal means to meet students' objectives

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As a consequence, each group has its own unique curriculum and set of methods employed by a language trainer. This approach is very consistent with the principles of another movement in the area of teaching foreign languages - Dogme ELT.

 

Dogme ELT, the movement started in 2009 by Scott Thornbury in 2009 is based on three  pillars:

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  • Students' engagement is as a prerequisite of learning.

  • Coursebooks should be avoided, as they limit both students and teachers

  • Students are encouraged to discover the rules of the language they are learning (grammar self-discovery)

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We stick to these principles in our work.

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