From our blog
News, developments and articles from Regina Coeli
The power of virtual reality in language learning
Teaching in English has long since ceased to be unique for lecturers at Dutch colleges and universities. ‘The students all speak good English. Often better than me,’ says Katinka Pani-Harreman. She teaches at Zuyd Hogeschool’s academy of facility management and does research in the field of vital communities. To become more at ease in English, she took a course at Regina Coeli, where she discovered, among other things, the power of virtual reality.
How long does it take to learn a language?
How long it takes to speak a foreign language depends on several factors: the desired level, your starting situation, the language you want to learn, the number of hours you put into it and the effectiveness of the method.
Little time and still learning a language
Learning a language takes time. If your days are already jam-packed with work, sports and family commitments, it can be hard to fit in time to study every week. Then it’s a godsend to be able to concentrate completely on learning a language for a week. That's what Edo Boerefijn, Chief Operating Officer at Cryonorm, did, for example.
Sharpen your saw
Language is the most important tool we have for communicating. Without it, we cannot express how we feel, what we want and who we are. You may recognise that feeling when you suddenly have to explain something in Dutch, German or French, noticing the frustration bubbling up as you search for the right words.
Learning a language from and with each other
Does your company have more and more international customers or do you work with colleagues from abroad? Then there’s a good chance that your language skills will be called upon along with those of your colleagues! And that’s actually fairly handy, because you can work on your language skills together!
Creating that team feeling through language training
What do you do if you want to take the language level of the entire company to a higher level because your customer base is internationalising more and more? Jürgen Schuijren of VEGA measurement and control technology knew what to do: reach out to the Nuns of Vught. All his employees came to the language institute in Vught for English language training. Their programmes consisted of a blend of private lessons and lessons with a team of colleagues, a combination that’s increasingly in demand at Regina Coeli.