for those interested in using Pumarosa, below is an
essay I have written.

		PUMAROSA.COM
		INTRODUCTION
	Pumarosa.com is a free, bilingual, phonetic,
interactive and “student centered” English as a Second
Language (ESL) website for Spanish speaking students,
usually adults. It also serves as an effective
introduction to the use of a computer because it is
easy to navigate. 
     Presently, the web site is divided into two
sections: Beginning and Intermediate. It contains
about 30 lessons, arranged step-by-step, from the
alphabet to lessons on all the verb tenses. 
 
		WHY BILIGUAL AND PHONETIC?
       Pumarosa is bilingual and phonetic for a number
of reasons.
First, it is bilingual because adults in general have
a more difficult time learning a foreign language than
children or young adults. Therefore, a bilingual
approach is useful especially when certain concepts
need to be explained. 
     Secondly, English is a difficult language to
pronounce due to the fact that many sounds simply do
not exist in other languages. And adults, compared to
children, have difficulty reproducing certain English
sounds. 
     At the same time, if a student cannot easily say
a certain word, it is likely that he or she will also
have difficulty understanding that word when it is
spoken. 
     A phonetic approach addresses this problem and
acts as a facilitator in learning English and
therefore as a transition to English Only classes. 
     Also, and more importantly, when a student is
able to pronounce English with a certain degree of
ease, the student will feel more comfortable and will
acquire more confidence. Conversely, not being able to
pronounce a language can lead to feelings of
inadequacy. A confident student will learn more
quickly.

		HOW PUMAROSA WORKS
     Let us follow a typical student, whom we will
call Maria. Maria enters the class or computer lab
where there are about 20 other students. She is
greeted by the instructor who leads her to her
computer. The instructor explains in Spanish what
Pumarosa is and how it works. Maria puts on the
headphones and begins clicking on the first lesson,
the alphabet, listening to the pronunciation of the
letters and usually repeating the letters out loud. 
      Maria’s first class of about 90 minutes consist
of her navigating a her own speed exploring the
various lessons and becoming accustomed to using the
mouse, etc.
     At the end of this class, Maria is given a hard
copy of the lessons contained in the Beginning
section, plus an audio cassette or audio CD of most of
those lessons.
      On certain days, the instructor divides the
class into two gr0ups according to level, and conduct
live classes in an adjacent room. In the live classes,
the instructor reviews some of the Pumarosa lessons,
focusing on any problem areas, such as pronunciation
for Beginners and verb tenses for Intermediate
students.
     After Maria has had an opportunity to study most
of the lessons on Pumarosa, usually within 3 weeks,
the instructor gives her a CD with text lessons,
containing essays to read, quizzes, rhymes, etc.  The
quizzes also provide an opportunity for the student to
begin to write in English.
      
     
		FUTURE LESSONS 
     Future lessons of Pumarosa will include essays,
poetry and songs geared to the adult learner. One of
the most important elements of learning a language is
reading. However, it is necessary to find material to
read that is both interesting to an adult and at the
same time not too difficult, vis a vis vocabulary. 
Songs, poetry and plays can serve this need. 
 
		PUMAROSA AS A STANDARDIZED COURSE
	Many adult ESL learners are also migrant workers. And
many ESL classes often suffer because many students do
not remain for the entire semester. If Pumarosa became
part of the program in various states, hypothetically
students can travel from San Diego to Seattle and be
able to continue their study of English in a
systematic way.  

    		PUMAROSA AS A TEACHER’S AIDE 
     Minimally, Pumarosa can act as an effective
teacher’s aide, especially in a multi-level class,
with students who speak languages other than Spanish.
As few as 3 computers in such a setting will help
create an interesting class. 

		PUMAROSA AS A 
		DISTANCE LEARNING PROGRAM
     An expanded Pumarosa, accompanied by text books,
text CDs, audio CDs and eventually video taped lessons
could serve as a complete ESL distance learning course
that can be integrated into already existing adult
education programs. 
Paul Rogers-PMB 349-110 North Olive St. Suite E
Ventura, California, 93001, 805-403-9743





	
		
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