I am a French native speaker from Besançon. I have lived and taught French in the UK for 19 years and before that I taught English in France. I have a good knowledge of the school and exam systems and can provide targeted support for all learners, whether you want to start with French, improve your French or pass an exam. I also help with essays on films and books for A Level or university.
I am...
I am a French native speaker from Besançon. I have lived and taught French in the UK for 19 years and before that I taught English in France. I have a good knowledge of the school and exam systems and can provide targeted support for all learners, whether you want to start with French, improve your French or pass an exam. I also help with essays on films and books for A Level or university.
I am friendly and relaxed but my lessons are well prepared and I aim to achieve a lot in one hour. That said, I will follow your pace and go as fast or as slowly as necessary. I am experienced in working with students on a one to one basis and I can quickly assess and address the needs of each individual students. Every lesson follows on from the previous one and is tailored to each particular student.
When I teach French I aim to empower my students and give them tools to work and think independently in French or about French.
Fo example, when dealing with listening, it is important to know vocabulary but also to recognise sound patterns. This helps hearing familiar words.
With reading, it is important to develop techniques such as reading for inference and develop cognate recognition.
For speaking, there are a number of structures that can be learnt and used in a variety of contexts. I help students learn and use them successfully.
Not everybody wants to develop writing skills but I can also help students acquire a good range and level of accuracy when writing.
I always teach grammar in context so students can see and understand how the language works and apply the rules themselves.
Finally, with language comes culture, and I always try to include elements of French culture in my lessons. I want my lessons to be relevant and applicable to real-life situations.
Teaching French is fascinating and I learn all the time about my language whilst teaching it. I welcome questions from my students and aim to encourage curiosity about the language. I brought up my two children to be bilingual and, now they are teenagers, we have many discussions regarding the way English and French can be similar or different.
I have taught mainly at Secondary level, from Y7 to Y13 at a local Grammar School. I have also taught in Primary Schools from Y3 to Y6. I have supported French teachers in developing their teaching skills and their French language so I am experienced in teaching adults too.
I have a long and successful experience of GCSE and A Level teaching. Many students have told me that I had inspired them to read French at university.
I also believe in traditional teaching whilst embracing the benefits of new technology and new teaching approaches.