What is a Langroop?
A Langroop is simply a “language group”.
More specifically it is a group of language learners who get together with a common learning goal, common interests, or based in a certain location.
After our most recent update anyone can now open groups and host language learning events for free on the Langroops website. You can follow the instructions below to open your own independent group or apply to be a community leader and start an official language exchange community.
How to set up your langroop:
Fill out the form.
Click “Create Langroop”
The form should be rather intuitive to fill out. If you are unsure what kind of Langroop you want to start, what different settings mean, or how to choose between them please read the instructions below.
Part 1 - The Basics
Here you will provide the basic information about your Langroop - this cannot be changed later.
Langroop Type
Langroops are divided into three types of groups which we have identified as the most common and effective forms of group language learning. They are as follows:
The Language Exchange Group
The Study Group
The Lesson Group
The Language Exchange Group:
A group composed of the native speakers of two languages who are learning each other's language. The goal of the group is to help each other learn and converse with an emphasis on interaction with native speakers. This kind of group is usually (but not always) restricted to native or near native speakers of one of the two group languages and is usually more appropriate for intermediate + speakers of the language.
You should start a language exchange group if:
It is important to you to interact with native speakers of the language.
You have a basic command of your target language and are comfortable giving instructions in it.
You are willing to spend some of your time helping others.
The Study Group
A group composed of learners of one common language who study together. The group may be conversation focused, learn from a textbook, or engage in other forms of group learning. There may not be a native speaker or figure of authority and there is more flexibility in terms of who can participate and what levels they can be.
You should start a study group if:
You don’t mind not having native speakers around.
You want to focus on your target language and not so much on teaching others your own language.
You want to meet other learners of the same target language.
The Lesson Group
A group composed of a teacher/host and students. The teacher may be a native speaker, a certified teacher, or just an experienced learner. The group can be for any level and use any form of learning.
You should start a lesson group if:
You are a teacher or want to become a teacher.
You want to focus on sharing your own language and culture.
You want to meet people who are interested in your own language and culture.
Choosing your languages
For a Study Group and a Lesson you will choose one language that the group focuses on. In the case of Language exchange you will choose two languages (there is no significance to the order).
Where will your group meet?
Langroops are groups for real interaction. This interaction happens in the form of events and meetings that can take place online or in person. In this section you should choose the type of events or meetings your group will be conducting.
Online: online meetings hosted on a video conferencing platform.
In-person: face-to-face meetings at a physical location.
Hybrid: both online and offline meetings.
(For In-person Langroops you must choose a city in which the Langroop is based.)
Finally, Name your langroop
You can name your Langroop whatever you like as long as it complies with our terms and conditions. It is best to clarify in the name what the group will be doing or learning and give it a little personality. You may want to consider adding part of the name in the language of your target audience. For example:
✘ Spanish Learning Group.
✔ Hardcore Espanol with Sofia
Part 2 - More Info
Here you will provide additional information about your Langroop that you can change later on.
Description
This is your chance to tell people about your Langroop and convince them to join! You can write about the group's goals, learning method, usual meeting time etc. You can write in more than one language if you deem necessary (recommended for language exchange).
If you are not sure what to write you can just write a very brief hello and edit it later on.
General meeting time
Every time you book an event on Langroops you can choose a specific time and date for that event that will be displayed in people's local time zone.
The purpose of this section is to give people a general idea of when your meetings take place if you do not have an event currently booked. You can use your local time for this field. If you are not sure when you will hold your meeting yet, just select a most likely time and you can edit it later.
Level
Let people know what level they are expected to be in their target language if they participate in the group. If you do not require a specific level you can just select “All Levels”.
Study Materials (optional)
If you will be using a certain textbook etc. throughout all your meetings you can upload it to google drive or another similar service and share it using a link. You will also have the option to upload different materials to each event when you book them that can be downloaded from the event page or during the meeting if it is hosted on the Langroops website (Schmooz).
If you do not have any study materials you wish to share just leave this section blank.
Chat Group
You have the option to connect your Langroop to an external chat group (such as Whatsapp, Telegram etc.) to help organize and communicate with your group. You can create a new group or connect an existing one, just find the join link and paste it in the appropriate section.
Part 3 - Security Settings
These settings' purpose is to give you more control over your Langroop and adjust the safety level to your needs and comfort level. These can be changed later.
Member Approval
Here you can decide if anyone can join your Langroop or if you need to approve them . If you have approvals turned on, you will be notified when people ask to join your Langroop and can decide if you wish to accept them or not.
Note: Having member approval turned on does not mean you can discriminate against people and you may only reject people if there is justified reason to such as:
Their profile information is incomplete.
Their languages are not fit for the group.
Their level is not fit for the group.
Your group is too big.
Unacceptable reasons include: Race, gender, sexuality, age, nationality etc.
External Group
Here you can decide who can join the external chat group if you have one. You can choose between “Members Only” (members of your Langroop) or “Anyone” (anyone with a member profile on langroops.com).
Who can join events
Here you can decide who can join events you book through your Langroop. You can choose between “Members Only” (members of your Langroop) or “Anyone” (anyone with a member profile on langroops.com).
Who can contact the admin
On every Langroop page there is a place to contact the admin. When people send a message there you will receive it in your message box (https://www.langroops.com/messages). Here you can decide who can send you messages via this contact form. You can choose between “Members Only” (members of your Langroop) or “Anyone” (anyone with a member profile on langroops.com).
Who can contact the admin
On every Langroop page there is a discussion board which serves as an internal forum for that Langroop. Members can post questions, points of interest etc. Here you can decide who can post to this discussion board. You can choose between “Members Only” (members of your Langroop) or “Anyone” (anyone with a member profile on langroops.com).