Nicolas Mayers

About the lessons:

Language education must be flexible to correspond with the level of the student, ideally reinforcing what they know while gradually introducing them to new material at a rate that is not overwhelming. For this reason, a lesson with a beginner looks very different than a lesson with an advanced student.

Lessons for absolute beginners rely on a mix of English and Spanish to introduce some basic vocabulary (greetings, time and place, food) and foundational verbs (describing oneself and others, etc.). Both these categories are introduced slowly and with lots of focus on review; a strong foundation makes for easier learning later. Depending on the frequency of the lessons, students might aim for 1-2 new verbs and 5-10 new vocabulary terms per week.

Intermediate student lessons will look much like beginner student lessons, except that vocabulary and grammar acquisition will be more targeted to particular topics of conversation. Incorporated into the lessons will be scripted conversations that the student can practice with me in order to put material they have learned in context. If they are feeling ambitious, we might attempt moments of spontaneous conversation.

Advanced students will, of course, need to review and add to the vocabulary and grammar they have learned, but the majority of their lessons will be low-stakes spontaneous conversation with me. Once a competent level has been reached in a language, this is by far the best way to learn, particularly with short breaks to review mistakes.

About me:

I grew up bilingual in English and Spanish and am well-versed in Spanish culture. I thoroughly enjoy working with students of all levels and will meet you where you are, whether you are starting with basic introductions or would like to hone your skills with full conversations. In addition to two years tutoring experience both online and in person, I am currently obtaining my BA in Linguistics, which gives me the tools to break concepts down into manageable pieces.