About our teaching methodology
Speakeasy BCN implements a modern teaching methodology designed to help you speak Spanish with confidence. Our methodology is built upon two core principles:
Immersion philosophy
A curriculum for rapid advancement in communication
Below, we’ll explain how each of these help you on your journey to learning Spanish.
Immersion Philosophy
Speakeasy BCN is an accredited language school with the Instituto Cervantes, which means we’re required to offer extracurricular activities. The purpose is to immerse our Spanish students in Spanish culture.
But our school goes one step further: we apply an immersion philosophy to all aspects of our teaching methodology.
What is Immersion Philosophy?
In 1982, the linguist and educational researcher Stephen D. Krashen published a research paper that turned traditional language learning on its head.
He recognized something which may seem obvious: He noted that non-native English speakers in regular Elementary school classes learned the language much faster than students who took standard English as a second language (ESL) classes.
This led him to create the “input hypothesis” which claimed that:
Language acquisition is subconscious: Students pick up a language faster when they’re not consciously “learning” it.
Learning is best without negative emotions: It’s hard to learn a language effectively if you’re embarrassed or afraid of making mistakes.
Speaking is not vocabulary: Memorizing vocabulary does not lead to “spontaneous” and natural speech on its own.
Exposure to challenges: Language learners progress faster when placed in an environment more advanced than their ability.
Language learning has levels: Every person picks up a language according to a natural progression, which can’t be fully recreated in a classroom.
Learning Spanish by living it
Our Spanish courses at Speakeasy BCN are rooted in immersion philosophies, such as those promoted by Stephen D. Krashen.
On your first day, your teacher will encourage you and your classmates to communicate in Spanish — both inside and outside the classroom. We also offer at least two extra-curricular activities a week to help you practice Spanish in a natural, social and non-academic context.
We also aim to teach Spanish through Spanish-language textbooks, resources and cultural materials.
According to our Academic Director, Verónica Hombrados:
“At our school, we firmly believe that the best way to learn a language is to live it. That’s why we take a full immersion approach, allowing students to experience Spanish not just as something to study, but as a living tool for communication, culture, and thought.”
The Speakeasy BCN curriculum
Speakeasy BCN’s curriculum is called the “CASA Program” based on the curriculum promoted by the Instituto Cervantes.
This curriculum distinguishes language ability into 6 different levels going from A1 to C2. These language levels are internationally recognized. As we are an official examination center for the DELE exam — which provides a qualification according to your level — this means you can get influential qualifications for your resumé by studying Speakeasy BCN’s curriculum.
The CASA Program itself stands for “Coherent and Active Spanish Assimilation”. CASA also means “house” in Spanish, and we like to think of the Spanish language as the construction of a building with the six floors corresponding to the 6 language levels recognized by the Instituto Cervantes.
Rapid advancement
One of the key principles of immersion philosophy is creating a learning environment without fear or embarrassment.
To create this kind of space for our students, we provide a level assessment test to ensure you’re placed among others of the same level. Classes are also small (no more than 8-13 students) to make sure everybody gets a chance to speak and ask questions — without feeling embarrassed or ashamed of having a different ability from their classmates.
We also divide each of the 6 levels of our CASA Program into “mini levels”. This achieves two key outcomes:
We group students of a very similar ability together
You progress through language levels much faster
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A1
Floor 1
Let´s go! What do they say in the weather forecast? What should I say in a supermarket? What should I say when I book a room in a hostel? You start with the basic, but you will quickly be able to use Spanish in everyday life through learning basic grammar and vocabulary.
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A2
Floor 2
Very good! You have just arrived to the second floor! From now on you will learn how to speak about your past and future plans. You will be able to interact in many social contexts, such as asking about an apartment for rent, reserve a hotel room or express your opinion on various topics.
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B1
Floor 3
Brilliant, keep going! We will study different topics such as funny stories, your CV, your travels etc. You will also learn how to communicate in a wider variety of everyday social contexts, increase your vocabulary and improve your general understanding. You will start to learn a key feature of Spanish grammar, “el subjuntivo”. You will be able to use the past, future and the conditional tenses.
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B2
Floor 4
Don’t say that you are tired! The fourth floor is a level of perfection and prepares you for the next level. You will reinforce your knowledge and better your understanding and you will be able to speak more fluently.
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C1
Floor 5
Excellent! You are close to the final level! At this point, you have acquired an extensive knowledge of Spanish. Now will be able to speak about any topics, understand any audio, article or conversation and be able to write any kind of text.
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C2
Floor 6
You did it! Here you will develop and implement all conversation and grammar skills you’ve learned so far. You have a native level and now you are able to speak, understand or write at a professional level, at the level of an expert.
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Student books
We use textbooks made for teaching Spanish to foreigners, especially chosen for their modern and complete methodology. They are the “Gente” series from Difusion editorial. The set includes a student textbook, a student work book as well as audio cds for practicing. We also use complementary exercises and hand-outs.
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Interactive digital boards
All of our classrooms are equipped with interactive digital boards. The use of technology is a key tool for the academic department of Speakeasy and allows students to learn in a dynamic and complete way.
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Speakeasy certificate
After finishing your studies in Speakeasy, you will get a certificate from the school indicating the dates you completed your studies, the total hours and the level you reached. The official certificate of Spanish as a foreign language is the DELE exam organized by the Instituto Cervantes. Speakeasy is an official examination center of the DELE exam. Speakeasy also offers a preparation course for the DELE.
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Native Spanish teachers
For Speakeasy Language School, the quality of teaching is of utmost importance. Our staff consists solely of highly qualified native Spanish speaking teachers with many years of experience teaching Spanish to foreigners. All of them with higher-education studies in Spanish language or translation and with specific trainings in ELE (teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language).
Speakeasy has helped thousands of students to improve their Spanish - will you be next?
The amount I've progressed is tremendous. One of the main reasons I've advanced so far in my ability to speak, listen and write is due to the phenomenal teachers at this school. I had 4 different teachers with their own unique styles. I can say that every single one was amazing and pushed me to get to the point where I am now. I can now confidently say I speak Spanish and navigate myself through Spain without so much fear of having to communicate. I have met many students from other language schools who switched to Speakeasy and all of them have told me this school is the best Spanish learning school they've gone to due to the amazing professors.
Studying Spanish at Speakeasy
Student life in Barcelona
Start your learning Spanish in Barcelona adventure
Let us know if you have any questions about our courses, our school and life at Speakeasy.