I have a year's experience teaching English to groups of 5-12 French students in Paris from ages 13-18.

I find devising games to help students learn is both an effective means of getting them to focus, as well as making the work seem less taxing despite the improvements they make. During my time as a foreign language assistant, short vocabulary-based games allowed me to get to know my students better as well as create a positive environment, especially when kids can find learning difficult and boring at times. Relating to students is one of my greatest strengths and my youth and knowledge of pop-culture makes it easier to establish open communication which allows me to identify their strengths and weaknesses. Furthermore this makes it possible to plan targeted lessons, which are far more effective than generalised ones. Knowledge of my students' interests also gives me the opportunity to give out exercises they are more interested in. For example, when I was learning French, I found doing translations on football news articles helped me improve significantly, as previous knowledge of football vocabulary allowed me to more easily construe complicated vocabulary, whilst my interest in the subject kept me interested in the work. I also feel that traditional teaching strategies are extremely important and cannot be overlooked. I find reading classical French literature (if presented correctly) can ignite a student's interest in another culture and give them added drive, particularly in today's world where many students lack motivation.