Patrick Kirchner

These days, I like to use news articles which the student will choose, read aloud and I will interrupt only if serious mistakes are made. Before the student starts reading, I pre-teach the vocabulary words, demonstrating proper pronunciation. During the discussion that follows the reading, I prefer that the student tackle all the discussion questions first, before I do; but the student can choose to assign questions to me, which I will answer in the normal native speaker speed and then one more time slowly, using less complex synonyms, re-stating the same or opposite position of the student or article. I will do this, if students ask me. Otherwise, I encourage the student attempt all the discussion questions first, and then I will correct and improve their answers, with feedback introducing models of my own; tailor made for the student, based on how the student approached the discussion questions. It's really up to the student's mood and how the student likes to study.

Another type of class I provide upon request; is to ask the student mock interview questions, that are usually asked during a job interview. The student does not need to be looking for an actual job, in order to practice being confronted with uncomfortable, psychologically probing, passive aggressive questions. Especially the kind that usually accompany most American corporate job interviews. If you ask me, I can ask many of these type of questions and even create many more based on the scenario you want to prepare for. These can be fun to practice with a tutor, where these is no social penalty, so as to make your responses stronger, in case you ever get caught off guard in an international business meeting, job interview or academic situation.

If the student asks I can substitute the mock job interview questions with typical Motivational Interviewing psychology questions. As I listen, to the student's reply I try to evaluate the data the way an IELTS examiner might, and give feedback based on grammar and style, accent and speed and whether the sentence structure is the way a native English speaker would construct such sentences. I give feed back, focusing on how to strengthen the student's speaking in a way that more closely emulates, the style of a native speaker.

Please trust me, even as a native speaker who is well read and can speak well, there are always misunderstandings and confusion along with English communication; along with tongue twisters and socially unpredictable real life events, it just never ends, even after you become fluent. Any educated native speaker, will admit, that if he becomes agitated, by discussing a sensitive subject which impacts him, psychologically, politically, spiritually or emotionally; automatically the speaker will speed up his tempo, raise or lower his voice, and use less professional, less academically appropriate language; and also make all kinds of pronunciation mistakes, because the speaker is trying to think logically, and talk while expressing and also suppressing different emotions and feelings, all at the same time. [This is probably why these kind of questions are asked, in American job interviews] If you are bored with the typical IELTS speaking practice and want to simulate being 'emotionally hijacked' by difficult questions that often come up in job interviews, or at social events where professional or academic peers and co workers might ask such questions; if you request it of me, I can look for difficult materials online and prepare challenging questions of this type, for you based on the scenario or role play you wish for me to design.

Another type of class I offer is: The student arrives with a resume, an essay, a letter, any document or paragraph from an E-book or article or clip from a film or online video, a fragment of a film stored in a cloud drive folder. The student then asks me to explain it, re-write it, change it, attack it, support it, describe it in different words. Or I can help the student re-write it, paraphrase it, create a response to it, write questions to be used with others who might read it, and so forth. In this case, I am delighted to work with whatever the material the student brings. The same applies to students who have their own role play ESL scenarios, from their own business English work books and courses. I am always happy to jump right into any materials the student introduces. In fact I really like when students interrupt me and tell me the material is boring and they want to change it and then they introduce their own material with immediate suggestions and instructions how they want me to teach it, or role play with it. I am very flexible in this regard.

The most challenging thing I have ever taught was academic writing for PhD candidates in Tokyo, Japan. Although, I had my own post graduate studies in psychology and in social sciences including an undergrad Bachelor's degree in Cultural Anthropology, and I really understood exactly what my students were trying to get across in their thesis statements and what their logical reasoning was. I knew where they were coming from logically but I had to help them change their writing based on their professor's criticism. It was difficult to get them to change their writing styles. I needed to show them how to re-write literature reviews and also re-write their own documents to support their hypothetical research goals and topics, in a manner which their supervisors at Meiji University would accept, and also a manner which complied with APA format and style. In the current age of American Turnitin, and other AI enabled helpers, the actual pressure on students to be able to voice and write their opinions in a manner which is both authentic and cites credible research peer reviewed articles which are five years old or less; and also relevant to their their field of study; is actually more difficult than ever before [the computer age]- Rather than easier as a result of new technology. Even when students do the step by step course work, read the instructor guidance, study and cite authentic research in their own words, their papers are rejected by Turnitin [or some other AI] or a professor and the students fall deeper into despair. It is increasingly difficult for the freshman student who is learning to write academically, or the post grad who is trying to go on to the next level; because of the excellent pattern recognition capabilities of the algorithm enhanced anti plagiarism, document checking online applications and services which university staff use to screen student submissions. It seems to me, that newer and newer online technology, which is great for research, access to new and diverse data and great for learning also has intensely forced young people to meet newer, harsher standards that have never before existed, even at the highest levels of the pen and paper, brick and mortar world.