PHILOSOPHY
The Greek Academy stands on a simple premise: adults can best learn Greek through instruction that takes the difficulty of the task and the intelligence of the learner equally seriously.
Many language products sell speed, novelty, or gamification. In constrast, our programming is built on what research into adult language acquisition actually suggests. We do not promise shorcuts, but instead we focus on providing quality teaching, curricular programming, and student support.
BEGINNINGS
I grew up watching my mother translate, moving between English and Greek at the table so my siblings and I could follow family conversations we couldn't otherwise join. In my teens, sitting with my aunts and uncles in my family's village in Greece, I decided I wanted to speak for myself.
What followed was more than I’d ever expected: university coursework, independent immersion, and the development of a whole life in Greek. It would be years before my own reading about foreign language acquisition explained why my journey learning Greek worked as well as it did. Eventually, after two graduate degrees and ongoing doctoral research in linguistics, that explanation became the design of this program.
-Michael Manos
Founder & Principal of TGA
METHODOLOGY
Research on foreign language acquisition has produced abundant studies on adult language learning, and while the conversation continues, some consistent principles can be discerned:
Explicit instruction about how a language works builds a foundation in adult learners that immersion alone doesn't produce as efficiently. Exposure to natural target language is certainly important, but to ignore an adult’s analytical mind is to ignore the way that new knowledge gets mapped onto existing scaffolding. At The Greek Academy, we treat the adult mind as an asset rather than a liability.
Vocabulary and grammar stick best when they're introduced deliberately and reinforced on a schedule, rather than picked up haphazardly. Systematic, deliberate learning beats incidental exposure for adult language learners. For this reason, qualitycurricula and instructional design are essential to The Greek Academy’s approach to teaching Greek.
Motivation is not a fixed trait, and research has shown that learners who can picture a concrete, personally meaningful version of themselves speaking their target language sustain effort far longer than learners chasing an abstract goal. This, combined with the fact that language acquisition is a social process, informs The Greek Academy’s commitment to providing community and accountability systems to support long-term student success.
These principles are not exotic, but instead reflect a cohesive picture that emerges from research on adult foreign language acquisition.
PROMISE
Research does not suggest that fluency happens in a month or even a year, and The Greek Academy will not promote those claims.
Nonetheless, we will support your desire to learn Greek to the best of our ability through our ongoing commitment to delivering university-caliber language instruction that is accessible outside of ivory towers.
The Greek Academy
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