Language Institute of Georgia
FAQ
How Long will it take me to become a fluent speaker?
It takes six months to develop a good understanding of the target language, if you spend two to three hours per week going through the Graded Readers. Once you develop a good understanding of the target language, you start absorbing the language via reading and listening. If you then read between 10 to 15 Graded Readers, which can be done between three to six months, you can speak reasonably well.
Why should I choose Graded Reader Method?
Graded Reader Method is the fastest way of building a strong vocabulary, which is the most important aspect of your speaking ability.
Why academia does not promote Graded Readers?
A Graded Reader costs between $10 to $12. A typical college language learning text costs between $250 to $300. Modern day academia will not show you the best path. It will show you the most expensive path.
I want to speak. Why should I learn how to read?
Reading provides you with the necessary reinforcements. You have to see a word, on the average, 10 to 15 times before it is internalized. Once internalized it can be recalled with ease while speaking.
But most language teachers say that speaking is the best way of learning a language?
This works for advanced students who already can speak. For a beginner or an intermediate student this does not make any sense because you if you do not know enough words, you can not say anything meaningful.
Many language teachers have never learned a foreign language as an adult and thus can not appreciate the role reading has in learning a foreign language.
How Graded Reader Method compares with Total Immersion?
As a beginner you will have many questions about the structure of the language. These questions can only be answered in a language that you can understand, which is English. Total Immersion does not work for adult language learners. We stay away from Total Immersion for good reason.