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The School Tres
Culturas Spanish has been providing professional Spanish tuition and services
in Melbourne since 1996.The school is under the direction of Luis Pinel, a fully
qualified language teacher with a long career and experience in the Spanish language
teaching field of Melbourne. We provide a complete and specialized tuition service
in all levels of Spanish and possess the professional expertise to design/write
Spanish courses for any specific purpose. The small group, relaxed atmosphere
and our top of the field approach to language learning, makes every class at Tres
Culturas Spanish, a rewarding and enjoyable experience for the Spanish language
learner. Tres
Culturas Spanish Provides Spanish classes at two convenient locations in Melbourne:
5/130 Albert Rd. South Melbourne - our central office and main studios (three
minutes walk from the Domain Interchange at St Kilda Rd) and at Fitzroy Primary
School, just off the Cafe leisure precinct of Brunswick Street in Fitzroy. Free
on site parking facilities are available in Fitzroy. There is plenty of free street
parking facilities on Albert Road after office hours. Our
Motto: Aprendamos, disfrutemos y hablemos, inscribed on our logo, stands
for our main philosophical tenet, it says: Let's learn, enjoy and speak.
Approach to learning At
Tres Culturas Spanish our language curriculum is based on sound educational principles
and proven language learning approaches that aim to provide complete core knowledge
about all aspects connected with the learner's eagerness to become a fluent speaker
and user of Spanish. Tres Culturas Spanish follows a very student centred approach;
this implies that our teaching philosophy is based on the premise that in a classroom
dedicated to second language study the learner must at any time be exposed to
proper and proven teaching and learning methods which lead to successful language
learning. Spanish
is the official language or the native tongue of over 400 million people in 23
countries. Like any language spoken by lots of people, Spanish has very clear
differences in regard to the manner that its speakers make use of it. These differences,
notable in each country where it is used, are mainly manifested in the abundance
of national or regional accents, vocabulary and some other features of language
variation. However, the core of Spanish - made up by a vast and disciplined body
of language - is the same everywhere. This body of language is the type generally
taught by the school systems and used by the media in all Spanish speaking nations
or at any place around the world where this language is professionally taught
or used. This 'standard Spanish' is the variety we teach at Tres Culturas in our
typical Spanish courses. We also make our students aware of the most important
linguistic features and structural differences between the Hispanic American Spanish
varieties ("Latin American Spanish") in relation to the Castilian Spanish
varieties - the Spanish spoken in Spain. Being specialists in all areas relating
to the teaching and learning of this subject, we can also provide students with
training in any particular modern Spanish language variety either from Latin America
or Spain. Courses
address all areas of language skill: Listening-comprehension, speaking, reading
and writing. Our role is to guide and facilitate the usage of Spanish as a tool
for communication in the spoken and written forms, as from the first lesson. A
conversational approach to second language development and full literacy in Spanish
are the central parts in our curriculum.
Language
and Culture Through
our cultural events the students at Tres Culturas Spanish, engage in all types
of activities as part of their learning process. These events are organized by
our
CoolTour Spanish
Conversation Club. They include going
out to dinners at Spanish or Latin American restaurants & tapas bars; conferences,
book launches, art exhibitions, theatre, Spanish language film nights, local and
country excursions, or any other relevant cultural event that involves Latin American
or Spanish Culture. These are fully supervised activities; however, the students
can enjoy a second language acquisition activity away from classroom procedures.
When you enrol in our classes you can join the Club for free. Non-enrolled students
can join for a nominal fee.
The
Tutors Courses
are designed/written by Luis Pinel and all the classes are conducted by him or
other equally qualified and experienced native speaking teachers under his direction. Luis
Pinel, Director and Head Tutor Luis
Pinel has an extensive experience teaching Spanish language courses to a great
variety of students in Melbourne since 1987. He started his career at the Spanish
Department of La Trobe University during that year. From 1991 to 1996 he worked
for the Horwood Language Centre of the University of Melbourne. At the beginning
of 1996 Luis opened Tres Culturas Spanish Language Studio, the first full time
private school in Melbourne dedicated exclusively to the teaching of Spanish at
all levels of proficiency. Prior to working for his own school, Luis also taught
at the Latin American Spanish Language School and at the Francais a Table Language
School, both in Melbourne. Luis,
a native Spanish speaker from El Salvador, is a fully trained language teacher;
he holds a Bachelor of Education degree as well as preliminary studies towards
a Master of Education degree from La Trobe University. The academic skills gained
during his studies include the ability to design and write language courses for
students at any level of language proficiency, as well as a specialized knowledge
on syntax (the nature of the written language) and phonology (the nature of the
sounds patterns of language). Emeritus Professor R E Thompson and Dr A N Baxter,
both formerly from the Spanish Department of La Trobe University, have assessed
his Spanish language skills and professional capabilities in the past. Since opening
Tres Culturas, Luis has been designing and writing and constantly editing and
updating, the textbooks used at the three beginning levels taught by his school.
These texts include all the areas of language study needed by students at those
levels. All the other courses taught at Tres Culturas are also especially designed
by him to suit each language level, according to the group and individual needs.
Luis does this to provide the students with a gradual and constant language acquisition
in an easy and enjoyable way. His professional ability to design and write our
courses, gives the Spanish language learner the advantage to use learning texts
which are always updated and fully relevant to the Melbourne cultural setting.
With the teaching-learning techniques and strategies included in the core of our
courses and Luis' extensive teaching expertise, the students gain a rapid ability
to converse in Spanish right from the outset of the learning process. Luis
Pinel has an ample knowledge of the many varieties of Spanish currently spoken
in Hispanic America and Spain (including their particular accents and other regional
linguistic features). He has a great passion for linguistics in general and for
languages in particular. Apart of Spanish and English, he is also fluent in Italian,
Portuguese and French. Luis is an enthusiastic and friendly teacher who enjoys
transmitting his language skills to the students on his charge whilst at the same
time facilitating for them the achievement of their full potential in their learning
endeavors.
Dolores
Nieto, Senior Tutor Dolores
Nieto a language teacher from Spain is a graduate in Philology from Warsaw University,
Poland. After graduation, Dolores taught Spanish for many years at this same university
in the Department of Iberian Studies. In Melbourne she has taught adult students
individually and in groups. Apart from Spanish, she is fluent in French and Polish.
She has also taught these other languages in Warsaw and in Melbourne. Dolores
has an extensive experience as a Spanish teacher of over 20 years. She enjoys
teaching and relating to students of any level of learning in a professional and
disciplined manner. Sergio
Riquelme Sergio
Riquelme comes from Chile. He has a vast academic and linguistic preparation in
Spanish which includes self education in complete philosophical studies; Bachelor
degrees in History and Education as well as a degree as a Secondary School teacher.
Sergio is a lecturer in the Education Faculty of the Catholic University of Chile.
He is currently on a scholarship gained at his university, completing his PhD
in Educational Studies at the University of Melbourne. He has taught at several
Chilean universities specializing in the area of teachers' training. He has also
worked for secondary schools in his country. Sergio's teaching and learning methods
were based on the Reflexive Conversation Approach - whereby students and
teacher build on knowledge which is relevant for both parties. He worked in Chile
in projects of community education for more than a decade that provided training
which incorporated new pedagogical and linguistic strategies for women employed
as domestic workers to help them develop critical thought. His pedagogical praxis
is based on the principle that human beings are linguistic animals that develop
themselves through discourse and that they have the innate ability to learn more
than one language. Sergio
Riquelme is a current member of the Spanish Speaking Broadcasting Group of 3ZZZ,
an ethnic radio station in Melbourne. In this role, he has carried out broadcasting
as well as production duties in radio programs for Spanish speaking people and
for people learning Spanish as a second language. He is the Secretary of this
Spanish broadcasting group as well as a member of Radio 3ZZZ Council. Alejandro
Gaitán Alejandro
Gaitán is a language teacher from Mexico. He has received degrees in Language
Teaching from Cambridge University, Université de Bourgogne in France,
and Universidad Pedagógica Nacional in Mexico. Alejandro is fluent
in English, French, Italian, and Spanish, and has taught for several schools and
universities in Mexico and in Paris. Alejandro is a very enthusiastic teacher
who enjoys instructing students of all ages and backgrounds.
Class size Classes
have a maximum of 12 students and a minimum of 5 - unless specified otherwise
in a course description. The conversación y gramática class
has a strict maximum of 8. Classes average 6 students. The tuition time for any
class of less than 5 students is 1 hour.
Courses All
our courses are available on demand and can start at any time, provided student
numbers are suitable. Courses are also available at your home or place of work.
OTHER
SPANISH LANGUAGE SERVICES Tres
Culturas Spanish also offers the following professional services: Literary
or Text Translations from
English to Spanish or Spanish to English. Any material can be translated: books
of any kind, textbooks, manuals, websites, etc. Fees for this type of service
depend on the work's language complexity. Enquiries from publishing houses, business
people or individuals are welcome. No work is too small or too big! Spanish
Language Coaching for
artists, like pop or opera singers or any other professional involved with vocal
training. During the past eleven years Tres Culturas Spanish has provided this
service to many artists around Melbourne. Please contact us for fees and details.
CORPORATE
LANGUAGE TUITIONTres
Culturas also provides specialized, highly qualified and experienced language
tuition in all major languages. All language tutors are specially trained to provide
you with the most satisfactory outcome. We can design/write corporate language
courses to suit the particular needs of executives or technical personnel as well
as arranging tuition in any major language to suit the corporate learner's time
schedule. We
can arrange on site tuition anywhere in Australia. In Melbourne we can also provide
language tuition at our studios located in Albert Rd, just off St Kilda Rd, in
South Melbourne. The corporate language tuition can be organized for individuals
or in a group setting.
Tres Culturas has provided highly successful Spanish language tuition to a variety
of corporate clients since 1996. Our fast learning methods and professional approach
to language teaching and learning are used in our corporate language programs.
We cater for the discerning learners, those who want to go beyond gimmicks. Give
us a ring today for more details.
Night
& day classes are held in South Melbourne and Fitzroy
LINKS:
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