Shelley Kirilenko

My lessons are completely tailored to the student, so that I choose my curriculum based on each student's individual needs. In general, I like to have a blend of speaking, listening, and reading in each lesson. I am also happy to assign and correct written texts, which I find extremely beneficial for the student. I tend to employ a combination of structured and unstructured work in the lesson, so that we'd have a worksheet to give us a focus, but would follow that up with a more free-flowing conversation. We would start the lesson with a theme - for instance, the health benefits of pet ownership - and would then either read a short text about the topic, or listen to a dialogue between two native speakers. We might then talk about the student's own experiences with the topic, where applicable. Also, I prefer to present grammar in context, rather than as a rote exercise. If we were working on modal verbs, for instance, I would ask the student to give me advice. (You should/shouldn't/may/may not, etc.)

As for my personal style, I'm a gentle and encouraging person, and a good listener. I find that my students soon grow comfortable speaking to me and working with me. When I make corrections, I wait until the student has finished speaking, and then I focus on the mistakes that lead to misunderstandings, rather than nitpicking.

I love teaching English, and am convinced that I learn as much from my students as they do from me.