The “Growing Participator Approach” or GPA is a popular language learning approach that students of Sorani might want to try either as their primary strategy or alongside other methods. Resources about this approach are widely available so only a very brief summary will be given here.
Where to find the Sorani GPA Phase 1 Guide
For those interested in using GPA to learn Sorani, the Phase 1 guide has been translated into the language! You can find them in this Dropbox folder: Sorani GPA Phase 1 Guide. On the official GPA site you can also find the other materials for Phase 1, including graphics packs and instructions for both the learner and the nurturer. For anyone interested in GPA Phase 1 materials in other languages, they are available in this Dropbox folder.
What is GPA?
GPA is a complete language and culture learning philosophy. Learners interact regularly with “nurturers” and later “mentors”. These cultural insiders join the learners on their journey from being outsiders, with little or no ability to participate in the language and culture, into an ever increasing ability to understand and be part of the culture and language. For those interested in learning more, the official Growing Participator Approach website is a good place to start.
Learners direct the study, which is structured in the following six phases1:
- Connecting. Phase goal: Become familiar with sounds of the language and learn to recognize up to 1,000 vocabulary items through strategic play.
Suggested timeframe for phase: 20 hrs / week for 5 weeks. - Emerging. Phase goal: Begin talking through participation in a variety of real life situations.
Suggested timeframe for phase: 20 hrs / week for 8 (more) weeks. - Knowable. Phase goal: Move beyond meeting functional life needs into the world of friendships, stories and understanding new or unfamiliar information.
Suggested timeframe for phase: 20 hrs / week for 13 (more) weeks. - Deep personal relationships. Phase goal: Overcome the plateau that many learners face at Phase 3 because they are able to function with what they’ve already learned. Move into a deeper understanding of the culture (and language) by joining pre-existing groups like a family or group of friends that get together frequently or a group that meets for a hobby or job.
Suggested timeframe for phase: 30 hrs / week for 6 (more) months. - Widening understanding. Phase goal: Increase ability to understand native speaker – native speaker communication, which includes literature, television, and interactions in a school or professional setting.
Suggested timeframe for phase: 30 hrs / week for 6 (more) months. - Ever participating / growing. Phase goal: After the first five phases, learners should be able to participate deeply in the culture and understand nearly all that goes on around them. This final phase is the continued process of participating and intentionally learning and growing along the way.
Suggested timeframe for phase: Ongoing.
If you’re interested in exploring other Sorani language learning resources, check out Kurdish Central’s top recommendations.
1. Information on phases from: https://www.growingparticipation.com/our-approach
Featured image: Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash