We offer intensive language classes focusing on speaking and comprehension. Class size ranges from one-on-one tutorials to a maximum of six students.

Languages: French, Wolof, Sereer, Pulaar, Mandinka, English, as well as other national and international languages upon request (Portuguese Creole, Portuguese, Spanish, Arabic)

The ACI Approach to Language Learning

The ACI Baobab Center provides intensive, high-quality language courses in French, Wolof, and English but also in Sereer, Pulaar, Mandinka, Portuguese, Portuguese Creole, Spanish, and Arabic as well as other national languages upon request. Our unique approach to language training is based on 25 years of experience teaching languages in Senegal. We focus on oral/aural language skills - - our goal is to strengthen each student’s ability to speak and understand their target language. Reading and writing are included to support the development of speaking and listening skills. Our experienced instructors provide students with personalized, interactive classes ranging from individual tutorials to small groups (maximum of six students) to rapidly maximize their speaking and comprehension skills. Course content is adapted to respond to the interests and meet the unique needs of each student, regardless of his/her current skill level in the language.

Our Experience

ACI’s Director and Senior Training Advisor taught at Senegal’s prestigious Ecole Normale Supérieure and designed and supervised the French and local language training programs for the U.S. Peace Corps in Senegal. He has trained language instructors for many years, and has developed instructional materials in French and Wolof.

ACI language staff teaching experience goes back to the 1970s when we pioneered French and Wolof instruction approaches for English-speaking Peace Corps Volunteers. When ACI was created in 1984, we further developed our unique approach to high-quality intensive language courses in French, Wolof, and other national and international languages. Our language instructors typically have between 10 and 25 years of teaching experience. For intensive courses, ACI uses a team approach, involving a variety of instructors, exposing students to different accents and teaching styles.

Al Hassane Diahaté is ACI’s Associate Director for Language and Culture. Mr. Diahaté has coordinated the Baobab Center’s language program since 1985. He is the lead cultural trainer, and coordinates orientations and educational tours, in addition to overseeing and training the language instructors. He holds an advanced degree in education from Moray House College in Edinburgh, Scotland, and spent twenty years teaching high school English in Dakar.

For individual profiles of ACI language instructors, click here.

 

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