How should I use a Spanish tutor?

[mommysanders]

My main question is this: How can I use a tutor for my children and then also for myself? What should the structure look like? How often a how long is best?

Details...

Hello! My kids and I are working on learning Spanish. Mostly it's my older two learning, and they are 8 and 6. I have been doing a lot more studying than them, because I want to learn at a faster pace. So my kids and I are not at the same level. Last year we did Song School Spanish, and now we are using TalkBoxMom, and my DS8 is starting Duolingo. For myself, I am also using Memrise and listening to a good beginner podcast.

So now I am at a point where I feel like we would all really benefit from the help of a tutor. I have a friend who is a native speaker and willing to come tutor us, but I don't know what that would look like. How would we structure our time together? Should I ask her to simply review what we are currently learning in TalkBoxMom? Should I ask her to just work with my kids, and I would just use an online source (I have heard of things like iTalki)? 

I appreciate any advice!

[Miss Tick]

When we had a tutor around those ages she came for an hour a week and spoke with my children for half (sometimes i sat in) and with me for half. The various tutors we have had over the years have always driven the lessons themselves. I've been willing to supply curricula or weekly ideas, but in the end I think it is better if the tutor decided what to do from week to week.

Structure and length/frequency will depend so much on your family.  Games, video songs, read-alouds, craft projects, these were all nice to do with a tutor and encouraged conversation - which is obviously the most valuable benefit of a native speaker. I didn't particularly try to align what we did with what the tutor did.

If she wants help with what to do I would find a used textbook to guide scope and sequence, but not for her to teach from.

Lastly I suggest putting an end point on the setup. Perhaps have her come once a week half for you and half for your kids until, say, the end of May. That will make it easier to give it a good try and see how it goes, but leave a natural time for readjustment. For us summer is always a different beast regardless of my intentions.

[Ohdanigirl]

Can I get some background? What are your goal, current level, etc. 

I would usually suggest that a tutor be used for speaking.  I would also recommend you keep in mind that your children will likely pass you by fairly quickly.  If you can, try to get a native speaker or someone who has spent time both studying the language and being immersed abroad, that is best.  Don’t assume that a heritage speaker will always have a strong grasp on the language.  I myself have lived off and on in Mexico for a total of 16 years spent in the country (not including childhood summers), and still conjugate my verbs incorrectly.  I was able to help prepare my son for AP and IB Spanish as well as the tests, but it took some studying on my part as well.

[mommysanders]

16 hours ago, Ohdanigirl said:

Can I get some background? What are your goal, current level, etc. 

I would usually suggest that a tutor be used for speaking.  I would also recommend you keep in mind that your children will likely pass you by fairly quickly.  If you can, try to get a native speaker or someone who has spent time both studying the language and being immersed abroad, that is best.  Don’t assume that a heritage speaker will always have a strong grasp on the language.  I myself have lived off and on in Mexico for a total of 16 years spent in the country (not including childhood summers), and still conjugate my verbs incorrectly.  I was able to help prepare my son for AP and IB Spanish as well as the tests, but it took some studying on my part as well.

Sure. My goal is for all of us to be able to speak with those around us. We live in Houston, and there are SO many Latin Americans here. My kids are young, and the two that I am focusing on with Spanish are age 8 and 6. At the moment I am not worries about any AP or IB tests. We (the kids and I) serve occasionally at a place where speaking the language would be very helpful! I have a native speaking friend who is willing to help tutor us once a week, but I'm just not sure what to request of her.

[Mom-of-Skiers]

We hired Spanish tutors for our kids and found they really needed structure. Doing specific activities such as a craft or baking project can help give context for the language. Perhaps the tutor can read simple stories aloud in Spanish. If you need a little structure, try having the tutor work through some curriculum with the kids. Calico Spanish has well organized, open-and-go lessons that include little dialogues that you can practice. It is also story-based so that really helps kids get a context for the language they are learning. Also, they offer a huge homeschool discount, just write their support desk and ask for the discount price.

[Ohdanigirl]

If your goals is just having conversational Spanish, I would have the tutor do focus teaching of words and practice using them in conversation, eventually having each of you start using what you learn out in public (ordering food in Spanish, grocery shopping in Spanish, etc). 

I highly suggest you watch TV in Spanish as well.  If you can pick a series a d put Spanish subtitles on, it will be of the most benefit.  Ypur ears need to become accustomed to hearing the language and various accents.  If you put Spanish subtitles, it will help you to recognize the word being said and you will slowly pick up conjugation and reading.  If you leave the subtitles in English, your brain will slowly correct and ignore the Spanish in the background.

If you plan on learning Spanish at a more academic level (reading, writing, speaking, etc), add in a curriculum of your choice.  It can only help to solidify things and give your tutor a road map.

Good luck.