Teaching and learning languages have always been a passion of mine and when my students ask me why I like teaching languages so much this beautiful quotation by Nelson Mandela comes to mind:
"If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head.
If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart."
I have taught Brazilian Portuguese for fifteen years and I have always used a communicative approach.
I use the following steps: A)Presentation B)Explanation...
Teaching and learning languages have always been a passion of mine and when my students ask me why I like teaching languages so much this beautiful quotation by Nelson Mandela comes to mind:
"If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head.
If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart."
I have taught Brazilian Portuguese for fifteen years and I have always used a communicative approach.
I use the following steps: A)Presentation B)Explanation C)Production.
I do not believe in lecturing and for the most part, my classes are student-centered.
By keeping in mind that the teacher is a facilitator, I try to help the students pick up or grasp a concept by asking them the questions (lead questions) they need to get to a particular conclusion (Socratic method). In my class the students are encouraged to learn listening, speaking, reading and writing simultaneously, a very natural approach when learning a language. Homework is an important, if not the most important part of the consolidation and retention phase of learning, and I always assign plenty of homework.
My students are very much encouraged and expected to participate and produce from day one.
I have always been told that my classes are fun and that the students feel very comfortable with me.
I am always excited to meet new students and the more challenging the prospect the better.
