Reality Spanish® for Office & Banking

Can your office staff welcome and gather basic information from Spanish-speaking clients?

Does the 'body language' of your staff indicate fear or dismissal of Spanish-speaking customers who walk in?

Would your business be served by all your staff having basic connective language and a positive cultural understanding of potential Spanish-speaking clients?

Let's change the model from 'We need to get our interpreter!!' to 'We can all find out what this customer needs - even if they only speak Spanish!'

Course description:

In Reality Spanish® for Office & Banking the language is geared to daily situations encountered in the office, reception area, insurance and banking locations. Commands, vocabulary and directives are included which are used frequently between tellers, office workers, and clients. Common questions are internalized, along with appropriate responses. "Bites" of language are introduced and developed into narrative stories, dialogs and directives. The multi-sensory teaching techniques of the COLA®* instructional system focus on speaking and listening, and a 'mix and match' approach encourages the customizing of language by students from the first class. The Interactive CD-ROM, Workbook, Audio CDs and Internet support extend student learning with instruction outside of class hours. Insights are given about some cultural differences which exist between Anglo Americans and Hispanic Americans, to ease misunderstandings that could occur within U.S. workplaces and communities today.

Credit:

Continuing Education Units: available for this course, dependent on classroom time scheduled

Course Goal:

Participants will be able to improve customer relations and accuracy of direct transactions through basic connective communication when dealing with Spanish-speaking clients.

 Student Learning Outcomes:

Upon completion of this course, the participant will be able to:

• personally greet and welcome Spanish speakers and establish basic needs of clients
• ask and answer questions to gather personal information
• give directions and express times, date and amounts, specific to office & banking functions
• express greater empathy and understanding for non-English speakers
• help create a more welcoming, lower stress environment for Spanish speakers in the work place

Methodology:

Students will experience multi-sensory learning activities in the classroom which expose them to abundant comprehensible input of new language. These activities include: physical movements and gestures, drawing and acting to demonstrate comprehension; spontaneous responses to questions in a conversational setting; small group and partner work to practice 'bites' of language; written and oral assignments.  The multi-sensory learning activities in the Reality Spanish® for Office & Banking program reflect the COLA®* Methodology of LingoLynx, LLC. This has been developed as a culmination of language acquisition techniques including Dr. Stephen Krashen's The Natural Approach; Dr. James Asher's Total Physical Response (TPR); Blaine Ray's TPR Storytelling®. These language acquisition techniques have been coupled with additional multi-sensory learning activities, content reflecting the context of Office & Banking work, the specific needs and constraints of adult learners, and technology tools, to create a unique instructional system.

Course Delivery Method:

15-24 hours of classroom instruction. Format: either 10 face-to-face classes containing 1 ½ - 2 hours each of direct instruction, or consolidated 4-hour block immersion instruction to expand the class sessions to best fit work schedules. In addition, each student is expected to spend a minimum of four hours per module interacting with the CD-ROM materials, research components, and follow-up assignments.

Grading/Student Evaluation Procedures:

Full, engaged participation is the main requirement for success in this class and in most cases, grading is not a required element. If CEUs are required by students or the agency, these would require grading of students.  In this case, all assignments would be graded according to a prepared rubric. See below.

Course Content:

Key Topics:

Courtesy, personal information gathering, dates, times, locations opening accounts, insurance and loan applications

 Key phrases/commands:

Examples: How can I help you?  Please fill out this form and sign it. Do you have an account with us? How much do you need to borrow? You'll need to make copies of your taxes. What kind of coverage do you want on your car?

Scenarios/dialogs:

In the office, At the bank, Meeting with the service director, Having an accident, Applying for a loan

 Cultural topics:

Immigration, Importance of family, Latino regions of the world, Latino banking practices and attitudes

 Grammar:

NOTE: Grammar is an integrated part of this course as it is relevant to the accurate reproduction of the target, context-based language for manufacturing personnel. Specific grammatical structures are taught as their use becomes familiar to the students from working with class stories, dialogs and activities. In class, reference is consistently and naturally made to verb form patterns, noun-article-adjective agreements, tense usage and accuracy of the written form. In addition to class work with grammar, the articulated student learning materials (interactive CD-ROM, workbook and Audio CDs) have detailed grammatical explanations, examples, activities, and web links, to extend student learning out of class. 

Course requirements:

1. Participation. Students are expected to maintain full participation in and readiness for the classes.
2. Assignments. These are written and/or spoken: written and spoken story per module, sketch of work area, command phrases, etc 

Textbooks/Materials:

Reality Spanish® for Office & Banking:  the multi-sensory, interactive CD-ROM program is required for all students and contains a printable text/workbook. The 2-pack of Audio CDs is also available to supplement student learning. These materials are fully coordinated, contain the four modules of course content, and follow exactly the learning targeted in this course. Authors: Gaye R. Jenkins, Ed. D., & Molly P. Schneider, M.Ed.