Martin Watts

Inglés avanzo. Por adultos. Profesor con mucha experencia. (Below is a description in English)

FCE CAE CPE TOEFL IELTS ISE GESE

Skype: martw77

Hablo espñol y frances.

Materiales gratuitos.

Description:

How i teach.

Lessons are focused on the individual needs of each student, and students have a range of different needs.

For example, some want to pass Cambridge exams and require a full course covering 1 to 2 years, some need exam preparation with tips and tricks on how to improve exam scores quickly - particularly in writing and speaking, sometimes in the listening, and less commonly in the reading. Some students wish to move to another country and require everyday working knowledge of the language, on top of exam preparation, while others are expecting job interviews and want to improve their linguistic answers to typical interview questions. Sometimes, students moving to another country need to work on both these aspects of the language.

The first, free, lesson gives me an idea of the students general ability and any important areas that need the most urgent attention. Typically, the student's plans and availability is discussed, as well as payment, which is more than enough of an example of their English ability to let me know if their plans are realistic and which areas of their language use need the most attention.

Students often have a time limitation due to impending exams or job interviews, and so the lessons are tailored to make full use of the time available. Errors that come up are common to all students and remedies for each and every one of these occurrances are delivered clearly and concisely: the result of many years practice.

Most students require exam help, and this is covered below. However, for those who need to improve a B2 to a C1 - a course of 1 to 2 years is usually necessary. In this case, all aspects of the language is covered at the appropriate level. Relevent vocabulary and grammar is introduced using Cambrige preparation material, but classes always involve natural, normal speaking practice for the most part. Writing, reading, listening and use of English exercises are set for homework, but any difficulties are briefly covered in class. The more time and energy a student puts into improving their proficiency, the quicker they can take and pass the required exam.

All lessons include speaking practice and pronunciation, and if the student has time, the use of phonetics is introduced. A basic knowledge of the different phonetic sounds can help a student enormously with pronouncing new words - and some old ones too! However, it is not only vowel and consonant sounds (and dipthongs) that are important in English. Intonation, the rising and falling of the voice when speaking, and speech rhythm aids communication greatly. Similarly, the teaching of strong and weak forms of common words, or connected speech, where words join together and, in some cases, consonant sounds are added in, or elision, where phonetic sounds are left out, all help to greatly improve fluency but also the ability to understand fast native speech.

Writing is covered in depth too. Effective writing in English follows some universal rules. An understanding of these rules, whether at a basic level or more advanced, will improve a students ability in any exam. However, the fine details and requirements of each particular exam is also taught - Cambridge, TOEFL, IELTS, Trinity - all have slight variations that are covered with ease but always include brainstorming, planning and paraphrasing. The principles of clear paragraphing is covered, how introductory sentences and clear example and reason sentences lead to greater coherence. In addition, how to make ideas flow throughout a text using mirroring techniques in linking is taught, aiding an increase in communicative ability.

Listening can be a challenge for some students, particularly those who have not had time and experience living in an English speaking country. In such a case, many strategies can be employed. The use of audio books is invaluable here, as students are often a little more proficient in their reading skills than listening skills. Listening to texts and following the speakers words on paper not only improves listening accuracy but spoken fluency as well. Reading and grammar improve in this way too. For exam students, learning how to identify 'distractors' (phrases that distract the students attention) - is important, as this enables them to identify the truly important parts in order to answer the questions correctly.

Finally, learning to increase reading speed is essential for exam students. How to identify information words in both the question and the text, without reading the full text, is enormously useful. As is the ability to navigate around a text by using the texts structure, without re-reading the whole text. Learning to understand phrases and words from context, and trusting ones ability to do so, is an invaluable part of reading in a foreign language too, and is covered where necessary.

Any or all of these techniques, and more, can be taught as required. Lessons are always adapted to provide the most value for the student's individual needs.