Information About Sophie - Hull teacher

Personal Description:

My name is Sophie and I am a language enthusiast, and have been since my first French lesson at the age of 11. I am fascinated by the workings of language and took up my degree because of my enjoyment of learning and studying foreign languages. Since going to university I have studied several languages alongside French and now have knowledge in:

French
German
Spanish
Japanese
Italian

I am currently taking time out from my degree to look after my first child.

Teaching Experience:

During my A-level studies I participated in several gifted and talented language sessions with younger children, including sessions with GCSE students. I worked on helping them to prepare for the filming of mock French news programmes, with particular emphasis on improving pronunciation and looking carefully at grammar and sentence structure to improve their self-written scripts.

At university I have acted as an aide to lecturers in French and Japanese during language taster sessions for A-level students. It was my job to help give a fun introduction to the languages by teaching basic conversation and vocabulary.

Teaching Approach:

Learning should always be enjoyable, even though it can be hard work. I think the key to enjoying your learning lies in variety, so that is what you can expect to receive if you choose me as your tutor.

We will focus on a well-rounded grasp of the language, spending time on each of the four key aspects of learning a language: speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Being able to converse with natives is the main attraction for a lot of learners, but learning to speak without seeing any of what you are saying written down will leave you crippled when it comes to reading and writing. At the same time, focussing on perfect written language without ever practicing it aloud will leave you at a loss when it comes to communicating, unless you have time to sit down and write a letter! I hope to strike a balance so that you won't find yourself lacking in any area.

I will make use of written resources I have made myself, such as vocabulary sheets and information on grammar usage, and will refer to relevant pages in textbooks. I will always read through new information with you, explaining anything you don't understand and giving demonstrations and extra examples.

Audio clips will improve your listening comprehension and videos will help you work out what you are hearing with visual cues. I will read new words aloud so that you can hear how they should be pronounced.

If you decide to take lessons with me you will never have to fear making a mistake. Getting things wrong is an important part of learning, and I believe it is better to try and come up with something, than to hold your tongue for fear of embarrassment. I will not judge you for any mistake you might make - on the contrary, I will take great joy in you taking the risk and learning how you might improve next time.