This article was originally posted on WomenLearnThai.com.
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AUA’s ALG (Automatic Language Growth) method…
Are you aware that there are over one hundred FREE AUA Thai videos on YouTube?
Backing up… do you know about AUA’s teaching method, ALG (Automatic Language Growth)?
Our program is designed around levels of experiences, call them ‘tours into language’ if you will. Each hour of ‘touring’ is made up of understandable experiences, all taking place in the target language. The goal of the ‘tour guide’ is to insure that each ‘traveler’ understands at least 80% of what’s going on during each hour.
Language Growth is natural… much like the growth of a tree. Just as every natural process, fruit is produced at the right time. Focusing on fruit – as in all language programs that want to emphasize speaking, reading or writing – will never produce the desired results. It’s not until we focus on the roots that we get the fruit we want.
That’s why with ALG our focus is on understanding rather than speaking, reading or writing. For ALG students, speech happens – naturally.
David Long talks about the ALG Method in the video below. As it is only part one of many, go to their YouTube channel for the rest: ALGWorld.
My mini ALG overview…
If you use the ALG method to learn Thai, in the beginning you will have no reading, no writing, no learning the Thai alphabet. And no homework. Whooh. Are your eyes lighting up at the possibilities? And is that a huge smile I see?
Now, you all know that I’m a stickler for learning how to read Thai from the beginning. But even so, I’m not going to diss AUA’s method. Why? Because everyone learns in their own way. And besides, who’s to say that I wouldn’t get something out their YouTube videos as well? Who’s to say that I haven’t already?
AUA Thai videos on YouTube…
There are a lot of AUA videos on YouTube. And when I discussed the videos with David Long, he hinted at even more. Yes. More.
This is what I mean by a lot of videos…
1.1 (5 parts), 1.3 (6 parts), 1.4 (5 parts), 1.5 (5 parts), 2.1 (5 parts), 2.2 (6 parts), 2.3 (6 parts), 2.4 (5 parts), 2.5 (6 parts), 3.4.1 (5 parts), 3.4.2 (6 parts), 3.4.3 (6 parts), 3.4.5 (6 parts), 5-10.1 (5 parts), 5-10.2 (6 parts), 5-10.3 (6 parts), 5-10.4 (5 parts), 5-10.5 (8 parts), ALG Thai Linguistics (5 parts), David Long on the ALG Method (6 parts), Examples of ALG and Crosstalk (3 videos).
As you can see, the videos for AUA’s classes are broken up into sets of five to eight. When I first started watching AUA on YouTube their videos were all over the place, forcing me to spend a lot of time searching. But now AUA’s YouTube channel has playlists. I’m not clued up on playlists but I do know that they make watching linked videos easier. What you do is select an AUA lesson, then click on the first video and the rest will play in sequence. Nice.
AUA on the Internet…
If you interested in finding out more on AUA and their ALG method, below are a few resources:
AUA online:
Twitter: @auathai
Blog: AUA Thai
Website: AUA Language Centre
YouTube: ALGWorld
AUA bloggers:
Bakunin Learns Thai (no longer online)
Dan’s Adventure in Bangkok
Journey to Thai
sweet and coolbeans: learning Thai
AUA on WLT:
Successful Thai Language Learner: David Long
Review: Thai Language Schools in Bangkok
I’m not finished talking about AUA, so stay tuned for more.