For four hours each week that began July 8, Tagalog words, expressions, and basic conversations shake up fresh enthusiasm for the Philippines’ heritage language as participants apply what they’re already learning in the ongoing Tagalog class in Rizal Center.
The class combines grammar fundamentals that form the core foundation and practical conversation that helps ease into attaining fluency and deep comprehension at the same instance. This strategy has been proven to quicken the ability to communicate albeit in simple sentences at first, instead of the traditional lengthy focus on grammar alone.
Highly spirited and lively interactions mark the class as students get familiar with the Tagalog alphabet, which now includes 8 foreign letters. The instruction connects Tagalog’s timeworn lexical roots with modern linguistic dynamics in the face of constantly evolving international vocabulary.
Students practice self-introductions and meet-up small talks, describing objects they feel and see around the room, their feelings and emotions, their hobbies and daily activities. They learn correct pronunciation, intonation and spelling. They also report back on conversations they have begun to hold with their families at home.
Students discover how Rizal Center’s Tagalog instruction significantly impacts progress and outcomes, particularly when anchored on the Philippines’ rich cultural context. As integral parts of the program, cultural elements are woven into the learning platform, including history, food, tourist attractions, beliefs, music, dialects, social mores, and local year-round celebrations.
The students appreciate the opportunities to conduct meaningful conversations with elders and experience Filipino customs and traditions. They are also delighted to taste adobo and pastillas when served as snacks during class breaks.
Enrollment is now open for the next Tagalog class that starts in September. For more information, call program facilitators –Connie 847-275-4139 or Sally 773-433-0053.
Connie Triggiano is currently Board Secretary of Circa-Pintig, a Chicago community theater organization. She works as Academic and English tutor assisting foreign students to pass IELTS, TOEFL, Celpic, ESL and other English exams to gain admission to universities in English speaking countries. She also trains greencard holders to pass US citizenship exams and interview. She worked for many years as Vice-President of Chicago-based Leo Burnett Advertising in its Manila office where she managed the advertising accounts of the country’s biggest brands: Procter & Gamble, Pepsi Cola International, BPI, Vicks, Wyeth and Cathay Pacific. She edited a travel newspaper in Singapore and taught college freshmen in a local university. Connie graduated with a BA degree, major in English, from the University of San Francisco in California while working as an information officer for a United Way agency. She took up MS in Advertising at the Asian Institute for the Development of Advertising, UST Graduate School.
Leave a Reply