Aaron Freegrove

Hi,
I became interested in teaching english as a second language as I helped my partner improve her english. She is now fluent and attempting to help me with my spanish.
In Ireland I tutored 3 spanish friends of my partner.
I believe learning should be communication based.
Focus should be on having a conversation about topics relevant to the students.
An example would be the spanish nurse moving to ireland. She aproached me for lessons as i had worked in three major hospitals in dublin.
So we began by discussing the routines in the emergency departments, icu units and wards.
Then we made flash cards of the english translations of various pieces of equipment and different areas in a hospital.
By doing those flashcards and building upon them to commonly used phrases i was able to help her prepare for her interviews by staging a mock interview.
Throughout the process I was paying attention to her grammar and correcting as needed.
What I learned from this was to tailor my teaching method to the individual, so I could provide personalized lessons to my students.
I find that a student will improve greatly when they incorporate as much of the language as possible into their daily lives as possible.
To achieve this I will endeavour to find english podcasts, movies and literature that is suitable for their level and encourage them to use it so we can attempt to discuss it during our lessons.
I hope this has provided some insight into my methods and I look forward to aiding you in your endeavors.