LANGUAGE SCHOOL METHODOLOGY

The Communicative Approach – Speak Portuguese Fast

Caminhos offers a diverse and enriching learning curriculum using the communicative approach, so you will speak Portuguese from day one. The communicative approach – or ‘communicative language teaching’ (CLT) – is an approach to Portuguese language teaching that places emphasis on interaction. Caminhos steps away from the traditional one-way communication from teacher to student. Teachers will speak the Portuguese language as much as possible during the entire course. Besides the fact that research has proven that this method has better results, it is simply more fun than one-way communication.

Our native Brazilian teachers are all highly qualified, trained, experienced and passionate about students’ Portuguese language learning, and are therefore focussed on maximising their students’ potential. Small group classes facilitate the opportunity for teachers to focus on students’ needs and create an opportunity for the student to interact.

Our teachers also use experiences of daily life to teach Portuguese lessons, helping students grasp the Brazilian street talk known as ‘gíria’, important when learning to navigate the streets of Rio.

Level Structure & Level Test

Our group courses are divided into 10 different levels from Basic (A1) to High Advanced (C+), which correspond to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. We are the only language school in Rio de Janeiro that instructs Portuguese for Foreigners on 10 different levels – which is a very important factor –, so there is healthy level differentiation between you and your classmates. With Caminhos you can start classes every Monday of the year on any level.

If you are not a complete beginner, we require you to do a level test so our teacher coordinator can place you at the correct level. Sometimes an oral test is necessary, but you will be asked to come in earlier to do this on the first day of your class.

Download the level test here and send it to us. We will advise you within 24 hours which level you should join.

In-Class Activities

At Caminhos Language Centre we understand that effective Portuguese language learning doesn’t only happen in a traditional classroom-based environment, particularly as our group courses run for 4 hours per day, 5 days per week. Therefore, our teachers incorporate a number of Brazilian cultural and social activities into their lessons, so you can speak Portuguese outside the classroom. Some of these are in the classroom; others are elsewhere.

Such activities include:

• cooking lessons — for example, making ‘brigadeiros’;
• tours to various parts of the city of Rio;
• audio, music, and video lessons to immerse students in — and increase their understanding of – Brazilian culture and Portuguese language;
• classes at the beach

With all these activities, studying portuguese in Brazil at Caminhos Language Centre will be much more fun!

These in-class activities are different to the daily free after-class activities (like beach volleyball and samba classes) organised by Caminhos for the afternoons. At Caminhos we make sure your course is exciting from the first day until the last day!