Learn Spanish with Yanapuma

From the beginning Yanapuma set out to create a professional Spanish school with the highest standards. While there are many Spanish schools in Ecuador, the vast majority pay little or no attention to teacher development and methodology. The result may be cheap classes, but we feel that in the end students will get what they pay for in terms of the quality of the Spanish tuition they receive.

Our Immersion Spanish curricula offer the highest standards of teaching by highly experienced teachers, and includes a wide range of multimedia materials to promote effective communication skills. Our immersion Spanish courses follow a set curriculum at levels from absolute beginner to intermediate level. Courses are repeated every 4 weeks.

If you are taking individual classes, your Spanish teacher will make a lesson plan with you based on your learning goals and current Spanish level. This plan is reviewed by our academic director to see that it is accurate and realistic.

We also have put in place a system for monitoring and evaluating student progress week by week. This is something that is unique among Spanish schools in Ecuador. This system combines with your lesson plan to produce a permanent record of your individualized Spanish course with Yanapuma. If you ever need a certificate, we can produce your record as evidence of your Spanish studies.

All of our teachers are certified in teaching Spanish as a foreign language, and nearly all attend or have attended university. However, we are not happy with the standard of preparation offered by the one organization in Ecuador that certifies Spanish teachers. For this reason we conduct ongoing training for our Spanish teachers, and are in the process of formalizing this training into a system to become the second organization in Ecuador approved to certify Spanish teachers.

Our teachers bring experience from their professional lives in other areas as well, including knowledge of the history, culture, traditions, politics and customs of Ecuador and Latin America.  Through this experience, they have the talent and dedication for teaching Spanish in a manner that is both professional and engaging, sharing their experience and knowledge with the student.

Our methodology is based on the work of the Instituto Cervantes of Spain, as the foremost authority in the teaching of the Spanish language. Our text books and materials are developed using the latest methodological insights into second language learning, assuring our students of the very best in Spanish language tuition.

At the start of your first class your teacher will provide you with all the information that you need to get the most out of your classes. This will include two short questionnaires that explore your learning style and preferences so that class activities can be optimally oriented. Many of our teachers use laptops during class to take advantage of the wealth of online materials, news channels, etc that exist. We also encourage students to explore Quito’s many attractions with their teacher during classes as an addition to more formal in-class study. These outings can include trips to Quito’s Old Town, walks through the New Town and the Northern sector, museums, zoo, universities, markets, and other places of interest.

Our students are regularly surveyed by our administrator to see that they are receiving the correct balance of activities and learning materials, so that the curriculum plan can be adapted accordingly.

"Yanapuma has been a great experience. The school has been consistently responsive and helpful, and both my teachers were excellent. Their lessons were organized and sequenced well. The material was interesting and appropriate, and they were knowledgable, responsive and fun."

We run two types of small group classes at Yanapuma - Standard Immersion Courses and Intensive Immersion Courses. Both courses run at various levels and follow a set format designed to cover the basics over a 4-week period. You can read all about them here. For a couple or friends studying together, the format is essentially the same as above for the individual classes, with the teacher taking into account the requirements of each student and working out a curriculum and plan that satisfies the needs and learning style of both.

The learning environment at Yanapuma is different from many schools. We strive to provide an optimal learning environment in a relaxed atmosphere to permit the student to learn Spanish at an optimal pace. We encourage students to feel at home and use our facilities as a comfortable base from which to explore Quito. Look around our school.

Another important aspect for students are the opportunities for social engagement with other students. We offer a regular calendar of extra activities and excursions outside the classroom. In addition, break times are synchronized so that students have time to meet and chat. Finally, at the end of break time each Monday we conduct a short activity to introduce new students to the other students in the school, in Spanish of course!

If you have any questions or would like more information about our school and Spanish classes or to discuss your particular requirements, please email us. You can also click on the links on the right to find out more about different aspects of our Spanish school and teaching methods.

Learn About "Communication Methodology"