Cathie Ajlouni

When teaching younger age pupils or beginner adults, I tend not to focus too much on the grammatical aspect of the language but on learning questions and answers and how to develop a conversation. At the beginning of each lesson we recap what has been learned in the previous lesson, so that they feel more confident using the language and ready to progress on other topics or build complex sentences. I aim at keeping it fun and interesting.
For students studying towards exams, right from the start, I assess their strengths and weaknesses, whether they can form tenses easily or whether we need to review how to do that. It's also important to check their vocabulary knowledge and their ability to use complex structures with good linking and how to express their opinion in the target language, as these are the skills needed to perform at a higher level. If they struggle with parts of it, we can to get back to learning the basics with tenses and progress through each topic making sure they apply this knowledge, building on the vocabulary they already know and pushing them to achieve their full potential. At the end of each topic, we do speaking, reading and writing practice exams, so they get experience in the format of these papers and hopefully gain confidence as their skills improve. I give homework every lesson but if they have a heavy week with their own school work, I can be more flexible. I think that I am approachable and friendly and I want pupils to enjoy their learning and not be afraid to ask if they don't understand something.
Finally, I hope that my 20 years experience in teaching French can benefit you.