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Intensive English ProgramAcademia offers Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced programs of study. Upon entrance, students are evaluated through tests and interviews and placed in one of these programs. In order to complete a program of study, students must take required courses in conversation and grammar, which are determined at the time of placement, and a minimum number of elective courses (i.e., courses other than Conversation and Grammar, which students can choose freely). ConversationAcademia offers the following Conversation courses: Beginning I, II, and III – In these courses, students acquire elementary skills in listening and speaking. Conversations are guided through the use of textbooks that introduce English expressions in the contexts of various everyday situations. Intermediate I, II, and III – In these courses, students acquire more sophisticated skills in listening and speaking. Conversations continue to be guided through the use of textbooks that approach conversation on the basis of theme-oriented situations, but occasionally conversations are allowed to stray from the textbooks as students demonstrate the ability to speak more naturally. Advanced I, II, and III – In these courses, students acquire the high level listening and speaking skills that are required in more natural and spontaneous situations. In Advanced II and III Conversation courses, textbooks are not used to guide students through conversations. Instead, teachers teach vocabulary and idioms that seem appropriate to the needs of students as they encounter new or unfamiliar situations in the course of conversation. GrammarAcademia offers the following Grammar courses: Beginning I, II, and III – Generally speaking, students at the beginning level learn the parts of speech and their various functions as well as the basics of sentence structure. In beginning level courses, students focus on the use of the “be”-verb, verb tenses, nouns and pronouns, count and noncount nouns, modal auxiliaries, possessives, and expressions of comparison. Intermediate I, II, and III – Students taking intermediate level courses broaden and increase their understanding of verb tenses, nouns and pronouns, modal auxiliaries, conjunctions, passive voice verbs, count and noncount nouns and particles, adjective clauses, gerunds and infinitives, noun clauses, and phrasal verbs. Advanced I, II, and III – Students taking advanced level courses broaden and increase their understanding of perfect and perfect progressive verb tenses, subject-verb agreement, nouns and pronouns, modal auxiliaries, passive voice verbs, noun clauses, adjective clauses, gerunds and infinitives, coordinating conjunctions, adverb clauses, reduction of adverb clauses into adverbial phrases, connectives, and conditional structures. VocabularyAcademia offers Vocabulary courses at the Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced levels. Vocabulary is taught through the use of textbooks that introduce words and expressions on the basis of their frequency of use. Beginning level courses stress words and expressions that are used with the highest degree of frequency, while Intermediate and Advanced courses focus on words and expressions that are used with decreasing degrees of frequency. Advanced Vocabulary courses stress vocabulary that is essential for use in specialized areas of work and study, such as business and college or university settings. Students interested in increasing their vocabulary are also encouraged to take related Idioms and Slang courses (only offered at the Intermediate and Advanced levels) in order to increase their expressive potential. PronunciationAcademia Language School has the only ESL program in Hawaii that offers courses devoted solely to pronunciation. There are two pronunciation courses—one that focuses on vowel sounds and the consonant “r” and another that focuses only on consonants. These courses are among the most popular offered at Academia and are open to students of all levels. Integrated SkillsIntegrated Skills courses are offered at the Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced levels. At each level, two courses are taught—a Reading and Writing course and a Listening and Speaking course. While students are not required to take these courses in combination, many students choose to take them both so that, over the course of two hours, they can improve their reading, writing, listening, and speaking abilities. Comprehensive EnglishComprehensive English courses combine all four of the major language skills—reading, writing, listening, and speaking. These courses, which are topic-based, require students to use each of the major skills at an advanced level. Students demonstrate their reading and writing abilities by doing outside research on a given topic. They demonstrate their listening and speaking abilities by presenting their research orally and responding to questions from their classmates and teachers. Course themes change from term to term, but have included such topics as Pacific Island Cultures, Business English, U.S. History, and American Culture in Cinema. These classes are only available to advanced level students. Test PrepAcademia Language School offers test prep courses in TOEIC and TOEFL for upper intermediate and advanced level students. The TOEIC test (Test of English for International Communication) measures the ability of non-native English speakers to use English in everyday workplace activities. This test is popular with students who are hoping to find a job in an English-speaking work environment. Academia Language School is an official test site for the TOEIC test, making it easy for our students to prepare for the test and take it in a familiar location. The TOEFL test (Test of English as a Foreign Language) is used by most U.S. colleges and universities in determining admissions for non-native speakers of English. As most colleges and universities prefer that students take the Internet-based version of the test, Academia’s TOEFL courses are Internet-based. Please note that test prep courses for TOEIC and TOEFL can be taken to satisfy elective requirements for students in the Intermediate and Advanced programs of study. Work Experience Program (Practicum)In the Work Experience Practicum, students work in an English-speaking environment for ten hours a week on a voluntary basis. Students learn to prepare resumes and interview for work positions. Once they have found a suitable position, they must interact with their peers, supervisors, and clients in English only. The experience is ideal for students who want to stretch their abilities and prove their value to potential employers. Practicum students meet for two hours each week to share their experiences with other students and to discuss their insights regarding working in America. Please note that the Work Experience Practicum can be taken to satisfy elective requirements for students in the Intermediate and Advanced programs of study. |
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