Post date: Feb 4, 2016 3:25:06 AM
The first is the Michel Thomas method - c'est possible / es posible in French and Spanish, which are adapted versions of the adult courses, which is mainly based on building oracy skills and explicitly explaining grammar structures in an easily digestible and memorable fashion, and introducing vocabulary using hacks to help draw parallels between English and the TL. I've used the adult courses with Y9-10 beginners to great effect, they really help students nail the structures and patterns of these languages, but I think I'm not the only teacher to find that you need to supplement the course with lots of thematic vocabulary. It has the potential to be very student-led, rather than teacher-led.
The second approach is the AIM method which also looks at building oracy, but focuses on implicit teaching of structures and patterns using very paired-down, simplified language, gestures and familiar stories to introduce high frequency words and structures completely in the target language. This approach seems a lot more fun and enjoyable, particularly for younger kids as there are loads of stories, songs, dances(!) and such which go with the courses, however I have two reservations about the Mandarin courses. Firstly, they only have two courses so far, although I'm sure more are on the way and, secondly, I'm not sure at what stage in the courses character recognition and writing are introduced. Oh, it also seems very a teacher-led approach.