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Frequently Asked Questions This is a list of common questions and answers relating to our products. Click on a question to view the answer. If you can't find the answer to your question here, please email support@BrainGrow.com. How is this course different from others? For what age group is the standard course targeted? How much time must we spend each day and how long will it take us to finish the course? How fluent can you expect to be by the end of the course? Can a student receive high school credit upon successful completion of a Power-Glide course? Can our courses adequately prepare students for a transition into traditional classroom study? Do you have to know the language in order to teach it? Are there native speakers on the tapes? What language do you think I should start with? Why learn a foreign language? Are students better off with a more "precise" approach? What do the Children's Courses teach? What is your return policy? How is this course different from others? Linguists, not marketing strategists, developed our course. Many commercial language companies promise a super shortcut. They put together a selection of useful words, phrases, and dialogues that simulate situations a tourist might face. They have you listen to natives deliver the lines and then you repeat what they say. And that's it. However, such little scraps aren't enough to get to the core of a language, to develop a strong sense of how it works and feels, and to build the habits, skills, and strategies that make efficient learning possible. This Power-Glide language course gives you real language-learning---the kind where you actually internalize the language, and begin to use it as your own. And with the capability you will gain through completing the course, you can readily acquire the additional vocabulary you need for business or other purposes. Dr. Robert Blair, Ph.D. in Contrastive Linguistics and editor of Innovative Approaches to Language Teaching, is the founder of Power-Glide language courses. His methods are informed by current language acquisition theory and rooted in the work of world-renowned language teaching innovators such as Burling & Lentolay, Lozanov, Asher and Curran. These pioneers created holistic, non-linear models focused on the learner, the learning process, and on natural acquisition strategies. Dr. Blair has adapted their contributions to his own creative work to build superb language courses. Each course contains over two dozen methods for learning a language. The variety of our methods makes us unique. top of page What age group are Power-Glide Courses targeted for? Power-Glide courses are built for specific reading levels. Our elementary courses are designed for reading levels of K to 4th grade. Our middle school courses are designed for reading levels of 5th to 8th Grade. Our High School courses are designed for 9th to 12th grade. Although our courses are created for a home school or independent study environment, young children may need supervision to complete the course effectively. Some of our customers purchase the course for children who are quite young and can't use the whole workbook yet. They choose to have the children gain exposure to the language by listening to the dozens of stories on tape in the second half of the course. The children then have a complete course ready for them when they are ready to read and write. However, reviews on the Power-Glide program have stated that a 5th grader can independently complete the course. top of page How much time must we spend each day and how long will it take us to finish the course? Ideally, we suggest 20-30 minutes every day for our elementary courses, 30-40 minutes every day for our middle school courses, and 40 to 50 minutes a day for our high school level courses. Daily consistency is the key. Assuming an ideal schedule, a student would need 180 days to complete a full course. This schedule aligns to a traditional school year schedule. top of page How fluent can you expect to be by the end of the course? The main goal of these courses is to create a student who is competent and confident in conversation. We teach grammar and verb conjugation through various methods without placing emphasis on it. By the time you finish the course you will have gained competency in reading, understanding and writing at a second year high school level, with speech two years beyond that. top of page Can a student receive high school credit upon successful completion of a Power-Glide course? Absolutely, yes. In fact, our courses reflect every new standard for foreign language instruction. We have placed special emphasis on following the ACTFL standards and guidelines. (ACTFL = American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages) To register for high school credit, please call Power-Glide at 1-800-596-0910 before you begin your course. top of page Can our courses adequately prepare students for a transition into traditional classroom study? Yes. But our approach is different from traditional approaches. Our courses build a foundation for communicating fluently in the language; classroom study drives the students toward passing objective tests and getting credit. While we're focusing on natural language acquisition (trying to mimic how children learn) and trying to instill the same fascination in the new language that they had for their first language, classrooms are reversing the process--teaching all the rules and memorizing words and, in our opinion, stifling any possibility of real communication. Because of the dramatic differences in approach to language, to succeed in transition from homeschool to public school we recommend completing the course, including the tests, and realizing that the course has prepared learners to gain fluency. In the classroom, they will necessarily focus on discrete parts of the language and mechanics, simply because these are the objective aspects of language and the tests are more immediate (and therefore treated with greater importance) than the overall goal. top of page Do you have to know the language in order to teach it? No. We designed the course to be simple enough for students to use independently. Or, parents and teachers can learn right along with their student. We also recently developed a Parents' guide for elementary level 1 courses to help parents measure their students' progress. top of page Are there native speakers on the tapes? Yes. In fact we use several native speakers in each course to make listening more interesting and real. However, in order to create consistency and to ensure effectiveness, Dr. Blair is heard frequently throughout each course. top of page What language do you think I should start with? Typically we recommend that you have your child learn a language that will become useful for them as they grow older. However, it is more important to choose a language that the student is motivated to learn. If your child is motivated to learn a specific language, then choose that language. You will have better language acquisition results if the child is more motivated. top of page Why learn a foreign language? Our course will improve your child's ability to gain entrance into the university of their choice. Most universities require two years of high school foreign language. This is a challenge homeschoolers everywhere are beginning to face, and one Power-Glide course will fill that requirement. Also, studying a foreign language has been proven to significantly raise SAT verbal scores. When we learn a language, we expose ourselves to a whole new culture and a whole new way of thinking. Language is the only way we have of communicating with the world around us. For more research based reasons to learn a language, click here? top of page Are students better off with a more "precise" approach? Look at how many Americans have 3-4 years of language credit, all based on exact and precise technique, and yet can do virtually nothing with the language. We firmly believe (and the new standards bear this out) that the way we teach and learn foreign language in America must change fundamentally before it can produce speakers in other languages. Can our courses do that by themselves? No. Nor can any course by itself. Language fluency requires interaction. But our courses can teach correct principles of how to learn. And they can teach well beyond the equivalent of 2 years of high school foreign language. top of page What do the Elementary Courses teach? The children's courses aim to teach children to think spontaneously and creatively in the new language. Activities are aimed at comprehension and story telling skills. We want kids to get excited about using the language and develop habits that foster fluency. top of page What is your return policy? If you are not totally satisfied with our product, send it back within 30 days and we will exchange the item or refund your money - whichever you prefer. The item must be in good condition. Workbooks must be clean and without any writing. top of page

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