Teaching Style
My teaching style for French is the combination of :
- years of experience, observation and feedbacks of students (private and in classrooms) ;
- my experience as a student of foreign languages (I learnt English, Italian, German, Latin, Russian, Mandarin) ;
- my own personality and values.
My Strengths
Here’s what I am really good at and famous for đ :
1. My excellent understanding of grammar
At school, I’ve always been the top student in French and in foreign languages (and was bored to death during Economics or Physics lessons).
In my teaching, this means that:
- I can easily break down the French language into small components to make learning French more manageable for students and reduce the memorisation work as much as possible;
- I know how to give short and clear explanations to help students get strong bases in French.
I have lost count of the number of times when new students exclaimed: “Wow! That’s so simple! I wish I had been explained this years ago!” It’s such a great feeling to witness these light bulb moments because I then know that they’ve truly moved forward in their learning. My philosophy is that as long as you don’t perfectly understand what you’re doing and why, you’re moving on blindly and will make the same mistakes over and over. - I help students learn more effectively by comparing French and English. Building bridges between languages and cultures is a sure way of getting a deeper understanding of both. Therefore, my students are constantly encouraged to reflect on how both French and English work.
- I help students to convey their thoughts the way a native speaker would. Learning to speak French does not merely consist in translating literally from one language to the other.
2. Giving tailored support
- I give my students individualised help and feedback. All groups are kept small to insure that everyone gets attention, but also a chance to practice. It also allows me to bond with my students in a way that wouldn’t be possible with a large group.
- The content and pace of the lessons are flexible and there is no textbook. I start from where my students are at and we build/add from there.
I provide:- all new words and structures needed ;
- material and exercises for reinforcement or application of the new notions ;
- pronunciation tips, suggestions for revision and any other relevant feedback.
3. Providing a secure learning environment
- I give sincere encouragement and appreciation. I value the efforts my students put in their French learning, and I encourage them to take risks and not to be afraid of making mistakes.
- The setting of the lessons is informal to help my students relax. I’m very accessible and want my students to feel that they can truly communicate with me.
If there is anything else you’d like to know about my teaching style, don’y hesitate to ask me. Thanks for your time!