BUT DOES IT REALLY WORK?

Newspaper, magazine and journal excerpts about ¡Español Rápido!

Mini-Immersion in Medical Spanish for Family Practice Residents
Dr. Pamela Frasier & Diane Dávalos
Teaching and Learning in Medicine: An International Journal
Abstract: U.S. Residency programs vary widely in types of training offered to increase cultural competency and sensitivity. However, a paucity of empirical studies exists regarding effectiveness of these experiences. The purpose of our study was to offer and evaluate a linguistic mini-immersion, ¡Español Rápido!, required of new family practice interns during their residency orientation month at the University of North Carolina. The curriculum was based on accelerative learning, a pedagogy that considers all parts of the brain, the para-conscious, and the role of the emotions. Pre-post tests of learners, along with a post-immersion and six-month follow-up evaluation indicated that the mini-immersion was successful. A simple t test for paired samples showed a significant improvement in interns' comprehension after the six-day immersion (t=11.3999, p>.000). This brief experience should be viewed only as a first step in a long-term plan for a comprehensive curriculum to prepare family practice residents as culturally competent practitioners.

A Passion for Learning
Spanish with brain friendly fun
Susan Norman & Alex Johnson,
Resource Magazine, London, England

You're in good company if the prospect of learning or speaking foreign languages fills you with dread… freezing up and fumbling for forgotten words is no fun. Learning can be so different though! What if you can relax and enjoy the experience-the fun and laughter of natural, childlike learning, while you transform yourself and your language skills through games, dressing up and play-acting….
…at the end of the course, I was very sad to leave and knew I would really miss it, and I came out of it not only with the ability to speak basic Spanish, but feeling charged with a new energy for learning, and enriched beyond anything I had experienced before.

New Language Not Always Headache William Charland,
Rocky Mountain News

It's a deceptively powerful, childlike approach to education based on music and riddles and games. Eight hours a day, my classmates and I scrambled around like kids at recess, laughing and playing in Spanish... First, we'd learn a bit of vocabulary - say, parts of the body. Then we'd be given a skit or a contest to act out what we'd studied, the results were remarkable. For the first time, I found myself learning new words and phrases in order to communicate, not just to pass a test. It's a process of weaving new information with all the facts and feelings of actual life, very much as children learn...Americans are recognizing the value of learning Spanish. And some of us are finding the process can be fun.

Fast, Effective Ways To Learn A Language

One-Week, 35 Hour Course Teaches Most How To Converse
Jo Beth McDaniel,
Investor's Business Daily

...Even if you hated language classes, you may respond quickly to newer, more innovative approaches to learning. No more memorizing verb tenses... Research shows that variety - whether from games, ethnic music or interactive computer programs - speeds learning and improves retention...At Expanded Learning, students are involved in dramas where they must use their new language to communicate. These and other memory techniques help language settle in the long-term memory bank. Retention is important: in traditional classroom settings, as much as 70% of material learned may be forgotten within a 24-hour period. "It has to be fun or it's not going to stick," said Expanded Learning owner Davalos.