Are you interested in learning Spanish, enroling in Spanish lessons or even finding a Spanish tutor? Well, you have come to the right place.
In this article, you will find out more about learning Spanish in Australia, how the education system views Spanish lessons and the different ways you can approach learning Spanish by yourself.
But first things first: why learn Spanish?
Spanish is one of the European Union’s official languages (being spoken in Spain), it is one of the United Nation’s six official languages, and is predominant throughout Latin America (except Brazil, although Mercosur, of which Brazil is a part, uses Spanish as its official language).
Worldwide, Spanish is spoken by over 420 million people (some estimates suggest that up to 500 million people may speak Spanish) and Spanish is commonly spoken in more than 20 countries and is the second-most spoken native language after Mandarin Chinese.
With this popularity, it is no wonder that more and more Australians are choosing to learn Spanish with a tutor, at a language school, or even online.
That said, some people encounter Spanish as part of the academic curriculum in some schools in Australia and as a language alternative. But what is the right way of learning Spanish?
Keep reading to find out more about how you can learn Spanish and connect with a Spanish tutor through Superprof.
Learning Spanish When You Are a Kid
When you are first exposed to Spanish you will probably want to understand everything from the get-go. But truth be told, learning languages is something that takes time and practice.
That said, it is well known that it is easier for kids to learn a new language. This is because of the brain's elasticity and rapid neural formation that babies and young children are able to learn languages at a faster rate. This is sometimes referred to as the “critical period”.
For a child, learning a language is part of their brain chemistry. They are literally built to absorb information; they do this in an unconscious state of mind like they’re learning and they don’t even know it.
These are some tips for learning to speak Spanish as a kid:
- Start young if you can. When we learn later on in our lives, our ears are slightly shut off to new sounds. They’ve kind of given up on hearing differences from our native language. It is good to start early.
- Read in Spanish. You can find a TON of native Spanish speakers that will read books to kids on YouTube. You can learn the sounds, or you can listen to full-length stories.
- Try Spanish apps. These are best for children ages seven and up.
- Hang out with Spanish speakers. If you have access to native speakers, try to hang out with them as much as possible, especially if they also have kids, and speak Spanish in the home.
- Take Spanish lessons. Online Spanish classes with live teachers are great, especially if they are focused on getting the kids to speak.
- Use flashcards. Most of us use the same 2000 words daily so writing ten Spanish words down is a great exercise for young minds.
To ensure the benefits of learning Spanish are maintained for the long term, it is not enough to take a single Spanish course. Experts recommend in addition to taking longer Spanish courses, either online or on a regular basis each year, the new language should be introduced into the daily routine of young children.
With that in mind, it is important that you choose the right Spanish teacher for you or your kid to get the best possible results.
Learning Spanish: It's Important to Know the Culture
Learning Spanish is much more than simply learning the rules of the language and applying them. If you want to speak as a native you must also understand Spanish and Latin American culture and customs.
If you do not grasp the mindset of Spanish and Latin American people you will always be prone to choosing words, tones, phrases, expressions and moments that give you away as being a foreigner. You can be misunderstood, you can misunderstand, you can sound over-polite, you can sound impolite and you can sound plain silly.
The Spanish language is very different to the English language. In a similar way, Spanish and Latin American culture and customs are very different to any other cultures and customs.
Learning about culture will allow you to be a much better Spanish speaker.
It’s a more engaging way to learn. When you ask most people why they want to learn a language, they’ll say it’s all about exploring different cultures.
It is also a great way for you to widen your understanding of the Spanish language. Spanish is spoken in so many places around the world that the differences between expressions and vocabulary in the various countries and regions are huge.
Learning Spanish from a cultural point of view also provides an opportunity to practice the language in a more natural way instead of just using the sentences and exercises that textbooks provide.
Understand Spanish culture and language with Spanish classes Perth.
Spanish Lessons for Teenagers
For some students, their Spanish language training won't start until they are 11 or 12 since it is the moment when the school curriculums in Australia start asking for an extra language elective. It is probably at this age that students start to take their first tests in Spanish as well.
But what do teenagers actually do while learning Spanish?
The overall aim of the Spanish curriculum at school is to help teenagers develop the knowledge, understanding and skills to ensure that they:
- Can communicate in the language they are learning
- Can understand the relationship between language, culture and learning
- Can develop intercultural capabilities
- Can understand themselves as communicators
Depending on whether they are at a public or private school in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane or any of the other major cities or states in Australia (NSW, Victoria, etc), will determine the type of classes they will get.
You can also look into hiring a Spanish tutor to help your teenager learn Spanish in a more comprehensive way. That said, you need to be careful to find out how much Spanish lessons cost in order to not bankrupt yourself!
Learning Spanish in the Australian System
Spanish is offered in a small number of Australian schools. Data provided by the Spanish Embassy Education Office show that in late 2012 only 258 of the 9,529 primary and secondary schools in the country offered Spanish in some form. Accordingly, the number of students who complete Spanish in Year 12 is very small compared to other languages.
That said, since being first introduced to Australia in the 1960s, Spanish is nowadays taught at the undergraduate level in 19 universities, including seven of the Group of Eight research-intensive universities. According to data provided by the Spanish Embassy Education Office, in 2011 the largest cohorts were located at the universities of Melbourne (1,282 students), Sydney (1,114) and Queensland (716).
But there is a history behind the low adoption of Spanish in Australian schools. In Australia in the 1960s, around 40% of students took a foreign or classical language (usually French, Latin or German) for the HSC equivalent. However, in the late 1960s, universities began to drop the entry requirement for students to have a second language.
Today, only around 10% of students take a language for the HSC (NESA7 2016). The most popular languages studied for the HSC are French, Japanese, Chinese and Italian (NESA 2016). The majority of students who study languages are concentrated in metropolitan schools, particularly schools in Sydney’s east or north (BOSTES 2013). Over the past decade, the number of languages offered in Australian universities has also dropped from 66 to 29.
Some students elect to study languages in their senior years because of personal interest, or because they have previously been successful in language learning. Others may choose to do so because of future career plans, or because they wish to further their studies at university.
If you do choose to enrol in a language course or Spanish lessons in Sydney in grades 11 or 12, what you will learn depends on which school you go to, what state you live in and which language you choose.
In most senior courses, you’ll not only learn the language but also its associated culture. For instance, in Victoria the senior language curriculum is organised into three broad themes:
- the individual, which looks at cultural topics such as relationships, educational aspirations, and leisure and sports
- the (language)-speaking communities, where you explore aspects of the history and the culture, arts and entertainment, lifestyles and ways of life
- the changing world, where you engage with social issues, youth issues, environmental concerns and work.
The structure of senior language exams differs slightly depending on the state you are in. But generally, the exam will require students to read and respond to both written and oral texts.
At the University level, the story is a bit different. In nearly all universities where it is offered, Spanish is taught within the Bachelor of Arts as a Major or as an independent study path.
The flexibility of the Australian system allows students to study Spanish in a number of ways: as a three-year study pathway within a Bachelor’s degree, which in some cases can be extended to a fourth year (a Bachelor with Honours degree that usually includes a one-semester research component), or as a shorter study path of one or two years leading to a Minor within the BA.
In most cases, students can also take one or two single Spanish subjects as electives within their undergraduate degrees. Some universities offer Spanish and other languages as concurrent diploma options, allowing students who have all their major and elective subjects in other disciplines to study some extra-curricular Spanish. In addition, a small number of universities offer non-credit bearing Spanish classes through community-oriented language institutes and centres
Now that you have a bit more information about the different ways you can start learning Spanish in Australia it is time to prepare for your Spanish lessons, so that you can cement the basics in order to give you a great foundation to tackle the trickier parts of the Spanish language.
Find a Spanish tutor with the help of Superprof and get ready to become a great Spanish speaker in no time.
If you are looking for classes with a private tutor or teacher, you can look at the available options in the Superprof platform. We have hundreds of Spanish teachers who can teach at any level, from beginners to advanced and with various types of experience. You can find both online courses or classes or in-person courses depending on your preference.
Don't hesitate, start your Spanish courses with Superprof and start learning Spanish with a private tutor or teacher now!
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