Teaching Hebrew Online

Posted by Dorit Sasson Feb 29, 2008

I just started using Skype software development known for calling mobile to mobile, telephone, and videoconferences in order to recently teach Hebrew. Teaching languages online in this respect, is not dependent on online language software to do the trick - that is, if you can manipulate the technology to teach a language you know proficiently well to another.

I design the lessons around a few greetings and since the learner is a beginner, I introduce the characters, the vowels and finally I go over the meanings. I control the pace, how much I want to review and the amount of new material I want to present. The learner has the opportunity to ask as many questions as she wants. I can hardly say it is excessive. It gives my student confidence to know that she can finally recognize the Hebrew characters is a variety of word related contexts and ask questions about it. It's a very personal experience.

I send files via skype and she can relate to the instructions and explanations right as she's learning the language. We use the chat and speaking option so, she can match the print to speech, which is important for the early stages of language learning.