At Lingo Live we believe that learning at its core should be about bringing people together, that’s why our mission is, “Connecting people through learning.” But what does that really mean? And how did we develop a program that supports this?
According to Jesse Abing, our Chief Learning Officer, the key is taking a socio-cognitive approach to learning (integrated cognitive & social elements). We believe in order for a language and communication program to be successful it must take seriously the social component of learning. “By creating meaningful interactions you’ll see a dramatic increase in the engagement and progress of learners.” This approach to learning can be seen clearly in every aspect of the Lingo Live method.
Learner-Coach Relationship
At our core is the relationship between coach and learner, which is why our lessons are held 1-on-1 via video chat. When the learner really connects with the coach, a feeling of trust develops. The learner feels more connected to the sessions each week and the coach conversely is able to tailor studies to fit the needs of the learner. There is also a heightened sense of accountability, learners are more engaged in sessions and less likely skip a session when they value and respect the coach. Sessions become less about learning vocabulary and more about developing a professional friendship that hinges on developing new language and communication skills.
Customization is Key
The Lingo Live program is highly personalized to the needs of the learner. So if learner is studying English for example, and needs to perfect their skills for an upcoming meeting, his or her coach can spend the weeks leading up to it role-playing the specific meeting scenario. As the learner-coach relationship develops, coach’s begin to incorporate music or books they think the learner will like. Because lessons are about building practical knowledge (that truly fits into the day-to-day of the learner) we see increasing levels of engagement and motivation to learn. And because our instructors are constantly customizing lesson plans, our curriculum never becomes outdated.
Assignments that Fit Your Routine
When it comes to practice outside of the “classroom”, our model is less about assigning homework and expecting the learner to spend time memorizing, and more about affecting behavioral change. And while sometimes there will be vocabulary assignments, we think it’s more important for the learner to incorporate what they’re learning into their current routine. So we might ask learners to watch a film in the language they’re learning and study the body language of the characters, or look out for how inflection changes based on mood. This way learners are learning the language, but also how that language fits into a new culture. Again there is an emphasis on the social component of learning.
At the end of the day we want our learners to develop the language and communication skills they need to thrive not only at their job, but also in their careers.
– The Lingo Live Team
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