06 Jul Best Tips on Improving Your French Pronunciation

This week, I’m delighted to feature a response from one of our teachers to last week’s blog i.e. the best way to understand how our learners feel is to learn a new language every now and then! Kelley Norman attends the TESOL Extended course every Monday and this is what she had to say:

Hi Sue – here’s an experience I had in learning Spanish…
When studying Spanish many years ago, one of the first things our teacher did was to let each of us select a Spanish name for ourselves. The purpose of this was twofold; to get the class accustomed to hearing and pronouncing unfamiliar names, as well as to introduce a great icebreaker for everyone. We were immediately all laughing together, and it put everyone at ease. My sister, Kristie, was actually in the same class and to this day, I still call her Cristobal.

I recalled this during last night’s class, when our instructor was stressing the importance of making each lesson memorable for the learner. In fact, I believe that first class set the tone for the way in which my Spanish teacher would conduct all of her classes. She often incorporated humour into the lessons and encouraged a variety of learning techniques such as role-playing and story-telling. I think a highly successful foundation was established from Day 1, when the stage was set for fun and a comfortable learning environment. The whole class seemed to thrive and many of us continued on together for 2-3 years. ¡muchas gracias, señora Leopardi!

Sincerely,

Inez (my sister still calls me this, lol)