Philippe Castagnera

My tuitions are student-centred and I provide my alumni with a host of home-made resources ie power point presentations which tackle all grammatical points, audio-visual activities to practise the four skills and main topics ie shopping, sightseeing, going to a cafe, a hotel .... I send my students a lesson plan before their tuitions and all relevant resources are recorded in French and Spanish to help my students practise their oral skills. I have also devised games to make my tuitions more interactive.
Needless to say my students are regularly invited to give their feedback. For instance there are students who express their needs and are anxious to acquire and use vocabulary related to their professional duties. I provide parents and students alike with feedback which help them assess their progress. I always endeavour to tackle essential skills ie listening, reading, writing and speaking so as to provide a variety of tasks to avoid lapses in concentration and keep the students fully engaged. For GCSE, A level and university students I have produced fact-based analyses of novels and films in the target language to enlighten them re themes and characters. I have also designed essay-writing guides which provide a structured approach to essay-writing. Such guides show the students how to draft a relevant introduction. Transition phrases are also provided to help students introduce new points and a conclusion. A three step approach is advised: making the point, providing evidence and analysis/evaluation. Naturally model essays are also available to guide the student.