GAIN CULTURE
THROUGH LANGUAGE!
GAIN CULTURE
THROUGH LANGUAGE!
The culture of each language is expressed through its arts. That is why at our centres, we cultivate contact with the arts. Getting acquainted with other cultures and their diversity becomes a valuable means of language learning. At the same time, it brings the language to life in a more enjoyable and more creative way, making the student more effective in their language use.
Films, books, music, and participating in theatrical plays, our school choir, and cultural projects are engaging activities that help our students develop skills, become group-minded, learn effectively, and have a good time.
THEATER
Would you expect to play “Alice in Wonderland” at a foreign language centre? Language becomes a means of theatrical expression with multiple benefits with the Gain system. Playing a role on stage means that a student has to understand the language and its inferences thoroughly while interacting with the other characters creates communication opportunities - again, in the language of the play. When students learn to express themselves and communicate in a language, they also gain the confidence to use it. At the same time, they become more social and gain friendships and shared experiences. They get excited about rehearsals and performances. They feel like a family.
CHOIR
Imagine. Mamma Mia. Money. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. L’inverno è passato, Que sera sera. We all enjoy them, we all hum along when we hear them, even if we don’t know the words or what they mean. Our Gain System turns this upside down! Not only do we learn the lyrics, but with the help of our music teacher, we become a group and sing in front of an audience, with confidence, without stress.
CINEMA
Have you tried watching a foreign movie in a language you know without subtitles? We often do it in our movie afternoons. Sometimes we put English subtitles and sometimes we put Greek for our younger students. Every movie time is fun and we come closer to the language and culture and in the end we discuss the meanings of the film.
CREATIVE PROJECTS
We make language learning more and more interesting by assigning current and though-provoking research projects to our students appropriate to their level, on issues like the environment, inventions, various world traditions, education in other countries, food, dances, houses. This year, to mark the 200 years since the establishment of the Greek state, the tribute "Greece, our beautiful country" dealt with archeological sites in our homeland, the Greek islands and the Greek language from the perspective of the international community. So, our students had to search for information in other languages, process it and present it in a mature and creative way.
LITERATURE
Literature is magical. It is a wonderful journey into an unexplored world. A journey that takes off crucially when you can read the work in the language of the author, uncovering special expressions and idioms. So, should we start with Shakespeare or Lorca?
