About the Series
“The success we have had employing Michel Thomas’s methodology in our classrooms has been spectacular – with enthusiastic and motivated pupils, teaching (and learning) a new language is once again a pleasure. We have confident, competent linguists, and outstanding exam results. In short, pupils adore it, parents want more of it, and our MFL Department is thriving on it.”
Paul Howard, series author
Developed and written by an experienced teacher, the Michel Thomas for Schools series is based on the successful approach of the late Michel Thomas, which breaks a language down into its component parts so that learners can reconstruct it themselves and say what they want to, when they want to.
Series author Paul Howard’s own experience of learning with the Michel Thomas Method fired his enthusiasm to adapt the system for schools, resulting in a range of exciting, enjoyable, active and interactive materials. Asteroids, Drag ‘n’ Match, Text Invaders and Multi Match games, for example, help to embed new language and structures through a medium that appeals to young learners.
With Michel Thomas for Schools, the learning process appears informal and unhurried, but progress is rapid. Learning is based on understanding, not memorising. The excitement of learning motivates students to make much faster progress than with conventional courses. By the end of the second year of just an hour per week of Spanish teaching, pupils will have a solid grounding in the grammatical structures equivalent to the requirements of GCSE and beyond.
The language-based, skills-driven approach not only fosters relaxed, self-assured learners who are eager to use the language, but also matches the ethos of the new curriculum that takes effect in September 2008.
Lord Dearing praises Paul Howard’s approach in his Languages Review:
“ … a deliberate attempt is made to use cognates and to operate bilingually in the classroom with considerable success and motivated learners.”
www.teachernet.gov.uk
Paul Howard’s website features detailed information on the series methodology, including answers to Frequently Asked Questions, plus video clips and a teacher discussion forum.