LANGUAGE LAB: Wall Street Institute (WSI) Indonesia president director William Daniel (right) and WSI service manager Andrew Whitmarsh (left) talk with a student at the English language institute's multimedia lab. (JP/P.J. Leo)Nia, 20, a student at Moestopo University, recently visited the Wall Street Institute (WSI) campus at the Ratu Plaza shopping complex in Senayan, Central Jakarta.

On arriving, she greeted the receptionists and teachers, and had a brief chat in English with them for a few minutes before class.

"In the beginning, I was a little bit nervous about speaking in English. After studying here for seven months, though, I'm getting used to speaking English," she told The Jakarta Post.

Nia added that she now tries to speak English whenever she can, including at home with her father.

For Nia, who is studying public relations at Moestopo, the WSI has become her second campus.

"As someone who is studying public relations, I can see that English is important, so I have to improve my English. I chose this institute because it combines theory and practice," she said.

Novi, another student at the institute, also expressed similar opinions about her experience in studying English at WSI.

"I see the learning process here is different from other English centers. The learning process here is not monotonous," she said.

What Nia described as a combined application of theory and practice is actually a key philosophy developed by the WSI, called "Blended Learning Method". This is what makes the learning experience at the WSI different from other English language centers.

"The Blended Learning Method is a technique of teaching that combines multimedia, small classes, native teachers and fun activities," said William Daniel, president director of WSI Indonesia. "This method has been proven to be effective. It has been adopted at more than 350 Wall Street Institutes in 27 countries since 35 years ago."

This method is based on the principle that hearing is the most effective sense in learning a new language. Infants use their hearing ability to learn new words and sentences before they start to repeat sentences and talk.

"It is much easier to repeat an English song than to speak English. It shows that hearing plays an important role in learning a new language," said Andrew Whitmarsh, service manager of WSI Indonesia.

Under the Blended Learning Method, students use the institute's multimedia lab in an interactive learning process. At the lab, students can test the progress of their abilities in listening, repeating, reading, speaking and writing with customized software.

Students also receive a manual they can use to practice and review everything they have learned.

In addition, the WSI also offers the Encounter Class, in which students will be taught by native English-speaking teachers and practice English conversation.

Each Encounter Class is limited to only four students. The small class size has been designed to create an intensive learning environment.

"It really helps us to improve our conversation skills," Novi said about the class.

To encourage students to speak English, the WSI has a policy that students must speak English at all times while at the institute. Further, the WSI has a cafe-like lobby that serves as a meeting point, where interactive activities are usually held.

"The last time, we had a discussion about Chinese New Year. We also play futsal together at nearby courts. We learn English but there is fun, too," said Nia.

For those professionals and students who want to learn English but are too busy with their jobs or schoolwork, the WSI allows to set their own schedules.

This flexibility, along with their interactive curriculum and Blended Learning Method, has made the WSI into a solid choice for people seeking to improve their English. Although the WSI opened only in February 2007, it already has a student body of 1,200 representing 12 nationalities.

"We will do anything to make you love speaking English with confidence," said Daniel.

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