Company Profile: Flinguu – Learn Finnish Online with Peers and Instructor
Do you want to learn Finnish but there are no classes offered in your area? Flinguu – Learn Finnish Online offers high-quality online courses for adult learners looking for an accessible, flexible and affordable solution for their language learning needs.
Flinguu was founded in 2017 by a Finnish instructor Tiina Haapakoski, who while working as a lecturer in Finnish at Columbia University, saw the need for more flexible and affordable Finnish courses in the United States.
Since those interested in learning Finnish were scattered around the country, Haapakoski felt the classes needed to be offered online, and since many of them were working professionals and living in different time zones, courses needed to be offered in an asynchronous format i.e., no live sessions.
Haapakoski had a long career in face-to-face teaching and some experience in online education, but in the fast-changing field of educational technology, she felt her skills needed an update. Hence, she started studying online teaching and learning at the University of Florida to find the best practices for designing and developing online language courses without compromising pedagogy. Through her studies, Haapakoski got the tools and expertise to develop pedagogically sound online courses, and Flinguu was born.
Have you ever taken an online language course? If you have, you probably know that online language courses often involve videos, grammar explanations, and quizzes, which you complete by yourself with no interaction with peers or the instructor. While self-study has its merits, it is not the best way to learn a language. At Flinguu interacting and engaging with peers and the instructor is seen as a key to effective language learning. Learning a new language is learning how to communicate in that language, and thus oral communication skills are essential.
Courses at Flinguu include speaking, listening, reading, writing and grammar exercises, and students receive personalized feedback from the instructor. Speaking and pronunciation skills are practised via a user-friendly video-recording tool, and students can re-record their assignments as many times as they want before submitting them since there are no live sessions.
Students can also listen to peers’ and the instructor’s recordings as many times as they need which facilitates learning. Flinguu classes are group-paced meaning that students need to complete assignments by their due date, but at their schedule allowing for flexibility for working professionals. The group size is capped at twelve students to ensure a high-quality learning experience.
Text by: Flinguu
For more information visit: www.flinguu.com(Link to another website.). Currently, Flinguu offers an introductory course in Finnish, one-on-one language onsultations and customized group or private classes for corporate clients.
More courses will be available shortly, and those interested in a specific course or topic can always email their suggestions at [email protected].