A Callan Method lesson is probably very different from other language lessons you have experienced before.  You do not sit in silence, doing a reading comprehension test or a grammar exercise from a book.  You do not have ‘free conversation’ where you only use words and structures you already feel comfortable with.  Of course, activities like this can help you but you can do them at home or in a coffee shop.

In a Callan Method lesson, you are busy with important activities that you cannot do outside the classroom.  You are listening all the time, you are speaking a lot, and all your mistakes are corrected.  You learn quickly because you are always surrounded by the target language. There is no silence and no time to get bored or lose your concentration.  And it is also fun!

When you are learning a foreign language, you need to hear, see and use words and grammatical structures many times before you really know them properly and can use them confidently and naturally.

The Callan Method is based on a carefully constructed system of revision. New words and grammar are taught using language you have already learned. You immediately practise the new material, listening to questions, saying the answers and getting immediate correction for any mistakes.

Vocabulary and grammar are then systematically revised, reappearing in different contexts as you progress through different stages of your course. As there is a lot of revision, it is not important for you to understand everything perfectly the first time; it gets easier and easier until you are naturally using the language.

Callan Method teachers speak quickly. You will practise listening to quick, natural speech and you will soon be able to understand without first translating into your own language. This idea of not translating is at the centre of the Callan Method; it helps you to start thinking in the target language.

With the Callan Method, the teacher helps you when you’re speaking, and corrects all your mistakes the moment you make them. The teacher corrects you by imitating (copying) your mistake and then saying the correct pronunciation/form of the word. For example, if you say “He come from Spain”, the teacher quickly says “not come – comes”. This correction by imitation helps you to hear the difference between your mistake and the proper form. You should immediately repeat the correct word and continue with your sentence. You learn a lot from this correction of your mistakes, and constant correction results in fast progress.

Although the Callan Method involves a lot of speaking practice, this does not mean chatting (free conversation). When people chat, they only use the words and grammar that they already know, so they do not learn much.  In a Callan Method lesson, you are constantly using new words and structures when you speak, so you benefit more.  No time is wasted.

When you study at a Callan Accredited School, you have access to the interactive Callan App – perfect for practising between lessons.

The Callan App lets you:

• listen to questions and then answer them, recording your voice and comparing your answer to a recording of a native speaker – a great way to improve your pronunciation
• write dictations read by native speakers – any mistakes you make will be highlighted on the screen so you can correct them and improve
• do lots of extra exercises to revise the vocabulary and grammar that you’re learning in your lessons

You can use the Callan App on your phone, PC or tablet. You’ll also find all your Callan Method eBooks and audiobooks in the App, so you’re always ready to learn wherever you are and whenever you want.

All Callan Method courses are very well designed, and the content is carefully written.  However, it is essential that the teacher knows how to deliver the Method.  For this reason, we only supply our books to Callan Method Accredited or Accredited for Online Schools, and Registered Teachers.  The teachers at these establishments have been trained to deliver the Method properly and we also carry out annual reviews to help them keep improving.

This is why the Callan Method is the best system in the world for learning languages – fantastic materials delivered by high quality, well trained teachers.

Always look for an official Callan Method Accredited School or Registered Teacher!

The Callan Method was created by Robin Callan who grew up in Ely, Cambridgeshire, England. In his early twenties, he went to Italy to teach English in Salerno.  Although he enjoyed teaching, Mr Callan thought that the way in which teachers were expected to teach their lessons was inefficient and boring.  He became very interested in the mechanisms of language learning and was sure that he could radically improve the way English was taught.

Mr Callan remained in Italy and started to write his own books on teaching English. He used these in his classes and, over the following 10 years, gained an immense amount of practical experience and a reputation for teaching English quickly and effectively.

When he returned to England, he opened his school in Oxford Street, London.  As the Method became more and more popular with students, the school grew and moved to larger premises.  Mr Callan continued to write his Callan Method books and today the Method is used by schools all over the world.

Mr Callan died in 2014 at the age of 81.  The school in Oxford Street has since closed but the Callan Method Organisation continues to grow, publishing the Callan Method books, developing new products, and providing teacher training and accreditation services to language schools around the world.