While serving as an English teacher in China, I learned that cultural communication is equally as important as grammar and vocabulary. Students were eager to ask me questions about my country and culture before the lesson could even begin. The most successful students were always the ones who were most eager to communicate and understand, and I parallel that with my own history of language study and eagerness to communicate with and understand foreign people.
As an English teacher, I think a crucial element of learning is to locate where the interest in the target language's culture lies. A language learner is more eager to communicate about things in which he or she is interested right after she is able to communicate his or her basic needs. And the best way to learn a new language is to have fun with it. The benefits of learning a language are infinitesimal, and there's no reason to perceive the path towards proficiency as such.
Basically, my style of language education is fun, comfortable, and interesting. I aim to assist building the student's confidence for pursuing the language on his or her own in the future.
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