Practical Information

All of my classes are hands-on. You will be given plenty of chance to speak in pairs, small groups, as well as with me. To improve your speaking, it is not rocket science to point out that you need to have a chance to speak!

Great, please ask away! All teachers (should) love questions. I might not always be able to answer, but I'll do my best to find the answer. Language is not static; it's organic and always changing. This is what makes it so exciting. There are also lots of 'Englishes'. I'm from GB, so I will happily answer your questions about British English and culture.

During our lessons, I will expose you to a lot of new vocabulary, either through exploiting listening or reading texts or while talking to each other. I'll try and point out patterns and make sure you know how to use the new chunks or expressions. You should prioritise about 6 word partnerships to use out of class in your daily life. We'll do some activities or play revision games to recycle the expressions and help you to remember them.

There is an underlying logic and sometimes it is clear which tense you should use. The fun starts at higher levels when we can begin to analyse why one tense is more suitable than another, which inevitably involves all the interesting nuances of language and communication. What hidden information do we convey when we choose one tense over another?

Fantastic. It means you are already interested in the cultural aspects of learning a language. I'll share with you the programmes I think you will enjoy watching and some useful podcasts to make your journey to work more meaningful! The first step is motivation, so it sounds as if you are in the right frame of mind to learn.