English Language Tutor Alex from Fátima, Portugal

I hold a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Toronto and a TEFL certificate from London Teachers Training College in the UK.

In the course of my career, I have taught grammar, parts of speech, language functions, general English in conversation classes, phonics, spelling, and reading and writing skills with the use of productive games and activities.

I prefer to take a direct approach when teaching English as a foreign language. Generally, I place emphasis on the spoken language and the development of oral skills unless writing is the object of concern. Although I do teach grammar in a more structural way, I make sure it isn’t merely taught explicitly but is learned inductively by my students through repeated exposure to the spoken language. Activities like pantomiming, word-picture association, question-answer patterns, dialogues and role playing have given my students the chance to figure out the rules for themselves or be better prepared for a formal grammar lesson. I combine both a reading and audiolingual approach in the course of my classes. I believe it's vital that my students develop their oral reading and comprehension skills so that they can develop their pronunciation, see linguistic patterns, and utilize the second language in a practical way by making inferences, comparing and contrasting, and putting new words into context as to learn their meanings and see how they can be used in everyday speech. The audiolingual approach the Audiolingual Approach gives higher priority to the spoken form than the written form. A language can be reduced to a basic set of sounds. Combine them and we have spoken words. Those words, when phonetically joined, become phrases and later become sentences. Activities like role-playing and dialogue practice fits in well which keep the class student-centered. The target language of the lesson should be used. I also take the communicative approach which seeks to develop those skills that enable my students to meaningfully engage with each other or with the teacher. The students can better develop their oral and listening skills in a natural, interactive way. I have used countless interactive communication activities in this approach. It's important that the students get more involved than just being presented the target language. Teaching too much can get in the way of learning, so I make sure I implement the silent way occasionally. I like to encourage my students to be independent, and to discover and figure out the language for themselves. Learning the target language should be a creative, problem-solving process—an engaging cognitive challenge. Since a teacher should evaluate how the students will use the language, I include a functional-notional approach to teaching. Creating scenarios that my students can relate to at their given age works well. This is a good approach to teach grammar and sentence patterns, since they’re always subsumed by the purpose for which language is used. To help develop my students' listening comprehension skills, I take the natural approach to teaching. Language acquisition is given priority over learning the language. Instead of having the students rely only on the written word, they are given the opportunity to acquire the meaning and purpose of the language by the use of props while listening to the teacher. There are many activities I've had which I find are more beneficial than rote memory learning. And, of course, the textbook should be put aside for much of the class. Total Physical Response is an approach to language teaching where gestures, actions and movements play a vital role in language acquisition. So TPR is an essential part of my classes, especially with young learners.

I am available from Monday through Saturday from 0900-1900 Lisbon time.

Client's home or workplace, public place, or online if not locally.