Veteran Lang Prof Offers Spanish, French and English Lessons

Janet S.

I hold a Ph.D. in Romance Linguistics from Univ. of California Berkeley, an Advanced Certificate in Foreign Language Teaching from NYU, an MA in Teaching English and French from McGill University, and a BA in Linguistics from Université de Montréal, Canada. For the past 16 years I directed and co-directed the Spanish language program at University of Chicago, and prior to that I taught all levels of French and Spanish as a doctoral student at UC Berkeley. Before grad school I taught Spanish and French at a private high school in Manhattan for a year, and prior to that I taught English to adults in Madrid, Spain for a year, both in language schools and as a private tutor. Although I am new to Wyzant, I am a veteran language instructor and can customize my lessons to suit my students' specific needs, whether that means helping you to grasp grammatical concepts, practice conversation with corrective feedback, or improve your writing and argumentation skills. As my background suggests, I am passionate about language and would love the chance to infect you with my enthusiasm!

My teaching philosophy is based on the notion that proficiency is gained through lots of oral communication, feedback and practice. I also believe that students need to understand the basic structure of the language in order to express themselves well, whether orally or in writing. Research shows that learners retain new grammar and vocabulary best if it is introduced within a context, so I always contextualize grammar and vocabulary when introducing it. Finally, I try incorporating authentic materials as much as possible in order to best prepare students to understand the target language once they find themselves in the target culture.