VOcabulary - Memorisation is key
Vocabulary learning is also a very important skill, especially at the start of learning a new language because without words there is no language and you will not be able to communicate or use the language.
In my lessons I focus less on teaching vocabulary explicitly because my priority is for students to learn words and this is most likely to happen when they are in control of what they want to know. What I will teach you, however, is how to learn and memorise vocabulary most effectively. I will show you a system with which you can maximise your vocabulary learning potential and accelerate the process of the words being stored in your long-term memory. This system is based on scientific research about vocabulary learning.
During your lessons you will be exposed to new words in the context of a topic. I avoid teaching you isolated words and phrases and I always try to make sure that your vocabulary learning is contextualised and personalised.
In my lessons I focus less on teaching vocabulary explicitly because my priority is for students to learn words and this is most likely to happen when they are in control of what they want to know. What I will teach you, however, is how to learn and memorise vocabulary most effectively. I will show you a system with which you can maximise your vocabulary learning potential and accelerate the process of the words being stored in your long-term memory. This system is based on scientific research about vocabulary learning.
During your lessons you will be exposed to new words in the context of a topic. I avoid teaching you isolated words and phrases and I always try to make sure that your vocabulary learning is contextualised and personalised.
GRAMMAR - Where LEARNING DOES NOT EQUAL ACQUISITION
Grammar has been an area of special interest for me since I started learning English at the age of ten. The reason for that was not very positive as I always struggled to learn grammar the way it was taught at school. I was never good at ‘understanding’ grammar and failed to reproduce a grammatical feature in exercises that followed the very detailed analysis of the grammatical aspect by the teacher.
It always remained a mystery and area of frustration until my MA studies in the USA in 2004 where it became an area of specialisation for me. I wanted to know what the science and research had to say about the best way to teach grammar. I decided to write my MA thesis about grammar teaching and opted for a comparison of two communicative grammar teaching approaches and how effective they were in helping students to learn two grammatical features of German: the reflexive pronouns and the present perfect.
Over the past 13 years I have read more than 100 books, articles and scientific studies researching the acquisition and learning of the grammatical system of a second/foreign language and it is indeed a highly complex process. However, as it turns out, grammar teaching in its traditional sense and how it is still practiced in many language classrooms and countries, is not the most effective way for a student to 'use' the grammatical system of a language. Feeding learners with rules, asking them to memorize it and reproduce it does not lead to the success teachers are hoping for.
I turned my weakness into my strength and have applied the expert knowledge about teaching grammar in my lessons. The results have been outstanding as my students are able to naturally use grammatical features in all four basic skills.
It always remained a mystery and area of frustration until my MA studies in the USA in 2004 where it became an area of specialisation for me. I wanted to know what the science and research had to say about the best way to teach grammar. I decided to write my MA thesis about grammar teaching and opted for a comparison of two communicative grammar teaching approaches and how effective they were in helping students to learn two grammatical features of German: the reflexive pronouns and the present perfect.
Over the past 13 years I have read more than 100 books, articles and scientific studies researching the acquisition and learning of the grammatical system of a second/foreign language and it is indeed a highly complex process. However, as it turns out, grammar teaching in its traditional sense and how it is still practiced in many language classrooms and countries, is not the most effective way for a student to 'use' the grammatical system of a language. Feeding learners with rules, asking them to memorize it and reproduce it does not lead to the success teachers are hoping for.
I turned my weakness into my strength and have applied the expert knowledge about teaching grammar in my lessons. The results have been outstanding as my students are able to naturally use grammatical features in all four basic skills.
Culture - LANGUAGE IS CULTURE
Culture is an aspect of the language learning process that is important as language and culture are strongly connected because you cannot understand a language in its nuances if you are not familiar with its culture.
I think it is very important to integrate culture into language teaching and it can be very interesting as well. I always try to teach my students not to be judgmental and critical about another culture and to accept that things might be done differently than in their country.
When I teach cultural aspects, I will not bore you with facts but we will look into the reasons why the customs of one country are different from yours. My experience is that this will encourage an open-mindeded view of the world. It will also help you to progress in the language and it can even increase your motivation to learn the language.
I think it is very important to integrate culture into language teaching and it can be very interesting as well. I always try to teach my students not to be judgmental and critical about another culture and to accept that things might be done differently than in their country.
When I teach cultural aspects, I will not bore you with facts but we will look into the reasons why the customs of one country are different from yours. My experience is that this will encourage an open-mindeded view of the world. It will also help you to progress in the language and it can even increase your motivation to learn the language.