Offered in partnership with the Rassias Center for World Languages and Cultures at Dartmouth College, the language curriculum at NEIA consists of an in-person class and Rassias Method Reinforcement Techniques (RTs). Teachers first present linguistic and cultural content in class. Assistant Teachers (ATs) then conduct the RTs via Zoom from the Dartmouth Campus. The purpose of RTs is to immerse the Innovator in the material that has been presented by the Teacher. The goal for the Innovators is to Know Themselves and eliminate any crusts around their hearts, so they continue to embrace their challenges and triumphs with enthusiasm. RTs are not a place to ask questions or to take notes. They are rather an opportunity to jump in and let the language and the excitement of learning surround you. Don’t worry about making mistakes; they, too, are an opportunity to learn.

Course Offerings

Spanish I 

Prerequisite: None

Spanish I is designed for Innovators with little to no prior experience in Spanish language learning or whose placement is in range for this course level. Innovators will learn the essentials of pronunciation, structure, and basic usage in order to acquire listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. The goal of Spanish I is to make language learning fun through engaging instruction, dynamic activities, and real world applications, with a focus on Spanish and Latinx cultures. Through study, conversations, and projects, innovators will be able to express short messages on everyday topics that affect them directly and exchange words and phrases that they encounter. They will begin to develop cross-cultural communication skills to thrive in an interdependent world.

Spanish II

Prerequisite: Spanish I or by placement

Spanish II is designed for Innovators who have previously studied Spanish I, the equivalent, or whose placement is in range for this course level. Innovators will continue their study of vocabulary, structures, and usage in order to advance their listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. We will delve more deeply into language learning by engaging in conversation and dynamic activities which advance our cross-cultural understanding. Innovators will learn to express personal opinions with more complex phrases and structures to navigate everyday social situations in the real world.

Innovators with extensive prior exposure to their language of study will engage in enrichment activities under the guidance of their teacher on a case-by-case basis.

Mandarin I

Prerequisite: None

Mandarin I is designed for Innovators with little to no prior experience in Mandarin language learning or whose placement is in range for this course level. Innovators will learn the essentials of pronunciation, structure, and usage in order to acquire listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. The goal of Mandarin I is to make introductory language learning fun through engaging, dynamic activities and real world applications, with a focus on students’ performance in Chinese in cultural contexts. Innovators will learn to communicate short messages on everyday topics that affect them directly; fluently use words and phrases that they encounter; demonstrate cultural understanding in daily conversation. They will also understand basic features of the written language, begin to read and write simple texts, and develop effective learning habits and strategies for long-term learning.

Course Offerings

Spanish I

Prerequisite: None

Spanish I is designed for Innovators with little to no prior experience in Spanish language learning or whose placement is in range for this course level. Innovators will learn the essentials of pronunciation, structure, and basic usage in order to acquire listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. The goal of Spanish I is to make language learning fun through engaging instruction, dynamic activities, and real world applications, with a focus on Spanish and Latinx cultures. Innovators will learn to express basic personal information and short messages on everyday topics with words and phrases they encounter. Through study, conversations, and integrated projects, innovators will build relationships with Spanish and Latinx cultures to carry forward into the future.

Spanish II

Prerequisite: Spanish I or by placement

Spanish II is designed for Innovators who have previously studied Spanish I, the equivalent, or whose placement is in range for this course level. Innovators will continue their study of vocabulary, structures and usage in order to further their listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. They also will explore integrated projects with other subjects in the target language to connect learning across disciplines. In Spanish II, we will delve more deeply into engaging in conversation and dynamic activities to advance our cross-cultural understanding. Innovators will learn to express personal opinions with more complex phrases and structures to navigate everyday social situations in the real world.

Innovators with extensive prior exposure to their language of study will engage in enrichment activities under the guidance of their teacher on a case-by-case basis.

Mandarin I

Prerequisite: None

Mandarin I is designed for Innovators with little to no prior experience in Mandarin language learning or whose placement is in range for this course level. Innovators will learn the essentials of pronunciation, structure, and usage in order to acquire listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. The goal of Mandarin I is to make introductory language learning fun through engaging, dynamic activities and real world applications, with a focus on students’ performance in Chinese in cultural contexts. Innovators will learn to communicate short messages on everyday topics that affect them directly; fluently use words and phrases that they encounter; demonstrate cultural understanding and culturally appropriate behaviors in daily conversation. They will also understand basic features of the written language, begin to read and write simple texts; and develop effective learning habits and strategies for long-term learning.