We strive to meet the language needs of the community and those searching for language classes in Nashville and surrounding areas. CALA offers services to a variety of audiences. Please use the links noted below to see what services suit you best.

Students

CALA's language-learning courses are ideal for adults of all ages and backgrounds. Our language classes are available for ages 13 and up. Middle-schoolers are also welcome if accompanied by an adult. We offer cutting-edge language instruction based on brain research. That means that you will learn a foreign language much faster than in a traditional language class. We deliberately make our courses FUN and engaging so that you don’t even realize you are learning the new language!

Maybe you’re an adult looking to study a foreign language for the first time or as a refresher. You may be a high-school or college student looking to get a head start with the language you're learning in school. Our classes are perfect for any student. We design them to help you get moving at an accelerated pace in a very short time. The CALA Language Institute offers Spanish classes and a variety of other foreign language classes each summer. So, come join us!

• Current student reference:  Shelley Thomas' Classroom Site (Middle Tennessee State University)

Workshops / Professional Development / Coaching / Consultation

CALA offers professional development workshops for the teaching and learning of world languages, including English as a Second Language (ESL). Our training methods are based on brain research with special attention to delivering comprehensible input in the classroom. TPR (Total Physical Response) and TPRS (Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling) are considered by experts like Dr. Stephen Krashen to be the most effective comprehensible input tools for first langauge (FL) and ESL. At CALA, we provide workshops focusing on these tools and the brain research behind them. Three levels of workshops are available along with consultation:

*** View Testimonials from CALA Professional Development Workshops ***

• Workshop 1 - Introduction (TPR)  (≥ 6.0 hours, $1,500 minimum)
  One-day introductory workshop on brain-based tools for providing comprehensible input (CI) with a focus on Total Physical Response (TPR)
  
  

  This is ideal for schools or school systems that are interested in seeing an effective model for teaching world languages, including ESL, in the classroom via comprehensible input (CI).  The demonstration of TPR, and all the CI activities that can be done with it, takes a full three hours before lunch.  It is then followed by supporting research, introductory coaching, explanation of resources, and question-and-answer after lunch.  Participants will be fully involved in hands-on learning via the tools they are learning to use.  The demonstrations are fun, engaging and past participants have told us they remembered these demonstrations years afterwards.  They allow both teachers and administrators to experience and understand together the power and effectiveness of using highly organized CI. The prepared materials work all four skills:  listening, speaking, reading, writing.

• Workshop 2 - Introduction (TPRS)  (≥ 6.0 hours, $1,500 minimum)

  One-day introductory workshop on brain-based tools for providing comprehensible input (CI) with a focus on Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling (TPRS) ｜Pre-requiste - Workshop 1

  This is ideal for schools or school systems that are interested in seeing an effective model for teaching world languages, including ESL, in the classroom via comprehensible input (CI).  The demonstration of TPRS, and all the CI activities that can be done with it, takes a full three hours before lunch.  It is then followed by supporting research, introductory coaching, explanation of resources, and question-and-answer after lunch.  Participants will be fully involved in hands-on learning via the tools they are learning to use.  The demonstrations are fun, engaging and past participants have told us they remembered these demonstrations years afterwards.  They allow both teachers and administrators to experience and understand together the power and effectiveness of using highly organized CI. The prepared materials work all four skills:  listening, speaking, reading, writing.

• Workshop 3 - Coaching  (≥ 6.0 hours, $1,500 minimum)
  

  One-day workshop of intermediate coaching and lesson planning based on Workshops 1 and 2 and CALA materials
  

  This workshop provides coaching  to develop story variation and original story creation skills.  CALA materials will be used to provide a paradigm of processing activities, and teachers will see how to apply it to the stories they may create in the future.

• Consultation  (≥ 3.0 hours, $750 minimum)
  This is for schools that have staff who have already been through Workshops 1-3, are trained in TPR/TPRS and are using comprehensible input but need individual attention for curriculum and/or content development to fit existing standards and develop lesson plans accordingly.

*** View Testimonials from CALA Professional Development Workshops ***

 

Teachers

Methodology Workshop
CALA supports teachers in their professional development and their mission to bring more effective language instruction into their classrooms. That is why we offer a methodology workshop to teachers during our Summer Language Institute. The workshop is aimed at training teachers how to use comprehensible input tools like TPR and TPRS in their own classrooms. Details for this workshop as well as CALA language-learning materials (i.e., workbooks) can be found on CALA's Marketplace/Registration Page (available summers only).

• Resources for Teachers - Teacher Training and Language Learning Materials

Methodology Course for Graduate Students (FL 6900 available only during Spring semester at MTSU)

This course is aimed at graduate students and language teachers who wish to enhance their ability and need graduate credit. The purpose is to train you how to use tools like TPR and TPRS which provide comprehensible input in the classroom. 

• FL 6900 Syllabus and Class Description

Teacher Certification
CALA recognizes teachers' need for training and support to successfully implement comprehensible input strategies in their classrooms. We welcome you to read more about how to become a certified practitioner of TPR/TPRS and other brain-based comprehensible input methods through CALA's Teacher Certification Program. 

Homeschooling, Community, & Business Groups

The Latino population in Tennessee is growing rapidly. This increases the need for the community and businesses to understand Spanish for basic communication and business transactions. CALA has partnered with government and industry groups to provide an accelerated, entertaining, and highly effective language-learning experience ideal for busy professionals. 

We also offer corporate language training programs for groups. We can deliver on-site training to suit your schedule. CALA offers group language training options for others within the community such as churches, schools, homeschooling co-ops, and more. Please email or call us at 615-898-5757 to discuss a customized language training solution for your business or group.