I just got this via email...if anyone is going to be in that area this coming weekend, it might be fun!

Haigh, a chairde!

Come join Language Hunters for this coming weekend (February 28th-March 2nd) of learning Irish Gaelic through playing games! These games help ease
absolute beginners into confident fluency through repetition and problem solving while cultivating a fun and relaxing environment. They
also present the language in a logical progression from basic to complex forms thereby creating a more comprehensive approach to
language learning. For those with more experience in the language, these games will build listening and comprehension skills while honing
pronunciation and allowing wider application of knowledge gained through previous classroom or private study. Help cultivate an Irish
language community through a weekend of immersion with the Language Hunters and jumpstart (or re-ignite) your love affair with Irish!


For examples of our games check out www.languagehunters.org or www.youtube.com/languagehunters.

For more information, and to register: https://guestlistapp.com/events/214059

Looks a little basic and more suited to children. Might be okay for beginners but it just seems too limited for adults

No idea. I'd suggest that anyone who is interested contact the organizers and ask.

Redwolf

One of the guys behind it used to be involved in Where Are Your Keys, a group that came up with the idea. The Language Hunters have, as far as I can see, simply repackaged much of the same thing under a different name.

In both cases, all you're getting is a simple subset of standard teaching practice obscured behind informal, non-standard (and potentially trademarked) names, but supplemented with a bit of bastardised American Sign Language.

The WAYK site goes into a lot more depth than Language Hunters, because their original idea was a "free to everyone" teaching technique, whereas the Language Hunters guys seem to have started viewing it all as commercial secrets...

Anyhow, in my book, the method has real value in one situation only: non-professional teachers. It's quick to teach the technique to new teachers, and it allows them to instantly teach a beginners' course (I did a CELTA for English teaching, and there was no advice on delivering absolute beginners' courses at all) -- however, these guys are touting themselves as professionals and experts, which seems paradoxical to me.

_________________
A language belongs to its native speakers, and when you speak it, you are a guest in their homes.
If you are not a good guest, you have no right to complain about receiving poor hospitality.

I'm not sure why they feel the need to incorporate sign language. Seems rather silly, unless you're trying to learn Irish and ASL simultaneously!

Evidently this fellow is going to be one of the teachers at the L.A. DSG, and I'm planning to go to that, so I'll let you all know if I find out more.

Redwolf

I saw another video and this is a group teaching many languages,. The classes are conversational and drill and repetition are very much used. However, the teacher in the video did not seem confident and I heard several odd pronunciations, I'd be curious to know something about the teachers' backgrounds and how much Irish background they have.

The idea is that the signs are easier to remember than foreign words, and that the close association of the word with the sign means that the sign triggers recall of the word. I'm not 100% convinced, but it's possible. They definitely overegg the pudding, though, claiming that the sign language is somehow natural and effortless, whereas sign language is a language, and must be learned.

And of course, if you know sign language, you're going to end up tripping over the fact that you're not really using sign language, as you're using the wrong word order and you're not using the grammatical inflections of sign language...

_________________
A language belongs to its native speakers, and when you speak it, you are a guest in their homes.
If you are not a good guest, you have no right to complain about receiving poor hospitality.

Perhaps they're tactile learners. I'm most definitely not...I'd find that annoying!

Redwolf

I don't believe in learning styles. Seems like one great big myth to me.

_________________
A language belongs to its native speakers, and when you speak it, you are a guest in their homes.
If you are not a good guest, you have no right to complain about receiving poor hospitality.

Don't know avout that. I learn best by reading something, I can repeat over and over until I understand something, Some oral is good especially for pronunciation, Skits and games have their use but are often confusing with people running around and shouting out answers