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Polish Language classes - what do your lessons look like?

posts: 22

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Mar 13, 11, 21:06 #1

Hello, last year I participated in an intensive Polish course in Cracow. It was a great experience, I met wonderful people and had a lot of fun.
However, I would like to share my experience with others and ask for your opinion about the course of lessons. My question is aimed at the ones who took part in Polish courses in Poland or to the teachers of Polish as a foreign language: what did/do your lessons look like? What about the social programs or extra lessons/classes? Was/is it just a boring word drilling and grammar learning?
During my stay in Poland I was amazed by the variety of ideas my teachers had while teaching us. The lessons were not only interesting, but also the materials so diverse. What's more, the extra classes had lots of cultural references. We danced, read Polish poems, ate Polish traditional dishes, we even had Christmas in August ;-)
I wonder, if your classes looked alike?
Thanks in advance for the answer,
regards!

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Mar 14, 11, 01:05 #2

I took part in classes in Krakow in summer 2007. We used the Hurra Po Polsku book and Ach Ten Język Polski book. In addition, there were some handouts. There were a lot of interactive lessons in class e.g. describe the person sitting next to you (in Polish of course), go into town in teams and find certain items/landmarks by asking directions in Polish, write a short report about the class visit to the Ethnographic Museum. I would say that the class was good and not boring. There were a variety of additional classes/activities in the evening, but unfortunately, I was mostly too tired to take part in these since the dorm was so noisy. I am a person that needs a solid 8 hrs sleep and it kept getting interrupted by drunk students coming in at all hours or the beer pong games in the hallway any day of the week. So I found it hard to study and to get enough sleep. So, I could recommend the summer course at Jagiellonian University but not the dorm stay. If I did it again I would sign up for the classes only and stay somewhere else.

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Mar 14, 11, 09:37 #3

Thank you for your answer. My course was in Glossa School, but I was renting a room in a private flat in the center of Cracow, so I had great conditions to learn. Besides, I could talk to the family in Polish, so I practised all the time.
It's a pity that because of the noise in your dorm you weren't able to participate in extra activities. But intensive courses are quite tiring, so you need to be rested in order to acquire as much as you want.

♂

Edited by: JonnyM Mar 14, 11, 15:18 #4

There are quite a few language schools that do Polish courses in Krakow - 'Glossa' isn't necessarily one of the better ones (though it advertises rather aggressively), and homestay is not at all a good idea. Why not have a look on the internet for a list of schools? Or try one of these, which all have a decent reputation.

Instytut Studiow Polonijnych
www.uj.edu.pl/polonia

Poliglota
www.poliglota.pl

International School of Polish Language and Culture in Cracow
www.polishcourse.org

Accent School of Polish
www.polishforforeigners.com

Prolog
www.polishcourses.com

Karina25Threads: - Posts: 1 Joined: Mar 14, 11 ♀	Mar 14, 11, 22:45 #5
JonnyM: though it advertises rather aggressively Why do you say that Glossa advertises aggresively? I've never seen its advertisements, not to mention "aggresive" advertisements. Besides, frdalloway wasn't asking for the list of school but for the opinion and the form of Polish lessons...

JonnyMThreads: 16 Posts: 4,487 Joined: Mar 9, 11 ♂	Mar 14, 11, 22:47 #6
Karina25: ? I've never seen its advertisements, not to mention "aggresive" advertisements. I have. Plus a lot of mysterious comments on internet fora. The ones in the list above however have a proven reputation.

WroclawThreads: 77 Posts: 7,404 Joined: Apr 1, 06 ♂ [Moderator]	Edited by: Wroclaw Mar 14, 11, 22:56 #7
Karina25: Besides, frdalloway wasn't asking for the list of school but for the opinion and the form of Polish lessons... if i didn't know better i'd say this thread is an ad and nothing more. shared ip's 'n all that.

JonnyMThreads: 16 Posts: 4,487 Joined: Mar 9, 11 ♂	Edited by: JonnyM Mar 14, 11, 22:59 #8
I would too. A combination of all those posts plugging this glossa setup, the strange English that a native from Bristol would never, ever use but which a Pole stylistically would, and the fact that Dalloway isn't a usual surname outside the novels of Mrs Woolf. All a bit suspect, really.

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Mar 14, 11, 23:29 #9

Stuff like this on other fora - it seems like glossa are spammers - one good reason to avoid them. The following is only one of many

I think that classes should be diverse or at least there should be some extra workshops in the afternoon or evening. I participated in a Polish course in August at Glossa School in Cracow and there were many fun activities and workshops: watching films, cooking and tasting traditional Polish food and many trips for free. I remember Polish Christmas party with pierogi, mushroom soup and singing carrols. It was a great fun! frdalloway

http://e-polish.eu/main/fid/10/tid/245/forum/thread.html?lang=DE

♂ [Suspended]

Mar 14, 11, 23:30 #10

JonnyM:

the strange English that a native from Bristol would never, ever use but which a Pole stylistically would

Indeed - some random bits -

frdalloway:

last year I participated in an intensive Polish course

Brits at least would always say "took part" and not "participated".

frdalloway:

Cracow

Cracow is more or less obsolete in British English - Krakow is the accepted modern spelling.

frdalloway:

about the course of lessons

Beautiful Polish mistake there - using "course" in this context, as a direct translation of "kurs" is a telltale sign.

frdalloway:

Was/is it just a boring word drilling

No Brit would ever make this kind of mistake.

frdalloway:

I wonder, if your classes looked alike?

We'd also say "looked the same" rather than "looked alike".

Busted.

JonnyMThreads: 16 Posts: 4,487 Joined: Mar 9, 11 ♂	Mar 14, 11, 23:32 #11
So basically she (and the language used suggests a she) is trolling for glossa. Which tells us a lot about them. One to avoid.

WroclawThreads: 77 Posts: 7,404 Joined: Apr 1, 06 ♂ [Moderator]	Mar 14, 11, 23:39 #12
annemb follows frdalloway on the other forum and they share the same ip on this one. strange !

rozumiemnicThreads: 4 Posts: 1,019 Joined: Nov 16, 09 ♀	Mar 14, 11, 23:39 #13
So where are you from then Mrs Dalloway?

JonnyMThreads: 16 Posts: 4,487 Joined: Mar 9, 11 ♂	Edited by: JonnyM Mar 14, 11, 23:41 #14
rozumiemnic: So where are you from then Mrs Dalloway? Bloomsbury. But she's going to the lighthouse. ;-)

rozumiemnicThreads: 4 Posts: 1,019 Joined: Nov 16, 09 ♀	Mar 14, 11, 23:45 #15
hahhahahaha (real laughing!!) good one Jonny! If she signs up for another course at Glossa I wonder will she get a room of her own?

JonnyMThreads: 16 Posts: 4,487 Joined: Mar 9, 11 ♂	Mar 14, 11, 23:47 #16
Ooooh.

FerdiThreads: - Posts: 2 Joined: Mar 15, 11 ♂	Mar 15, 11, 08:43 #17
Polish language is really difficult

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Mar 15, 11, 14:51 #18

frdalloway:

We danced, read Polish poems, ate Polish traditional dishes, we even had Christmas in August ;-)

What a sense of fun... :|

JonnyM:

the strange English that a native from Bristol would never, ever use but which a Pole stylistically would

delphiandomine:

Beautiful Polish mistake there - using "course" in this context, as a direct translation of "kurs" is a telltale sign.

Your perceptiveness is not very encouraging... I've just realized that my English must sound extremely unnatural. You are not as tolerant of our mistakes as I thought :D But it's good to know!

JonnyMThreads: 16 Posts: 4,487 Joined: Mar 9, 11 ♂	Mar 15, 11, 16:06 #19
Anna86: my English You are frdalloway?

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Mar 15, 11, 18:57 #20

JonnyM:

You are frdalloway?

That was not my point...Since I didn't notice all the mistakes you pointed out here, I assumed that I (and other English learners) must sound as unnatural as frdalloway. I simply didn't know that English native speakers are so perceptive and sensitive about their language...Now I know that you notice all the small details that make us sound like foreigners. It's harder than I thought...and that's all I wanted to say ;)

JonnyMThreads: 16 Posts: 4,487 Joined: Mar 9, 11 ♂	Mar 15, 11, 19:11 #21
I know what you mean - I have the same if I write in Polish. The grammar may be OK, but a Polish person wouldn't neccessarily say it the same way! It doesn't mean it's a mistake - just transference from one way of speaking to another.

davlaurjenThreads: - Posts: 8 Joined: May 22, 10 ♂	Aug 16, 11, 01:55 #22
I really enjoyed this thread.It highlights the pitfalls ahead if you part with your money without checking beforehand.Caveat emptor!

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