Name of the teacher: Aude 

Language: French

I am currently working in a school as a foreign language assistant since September. I have experience from working as a foreign language assistant for one year in Liverpool. I was also a private tutor in my home country, France. My job as FLA was /is to prepare GCSE and A-level students for their exams. Using an example of their exam board, adapting it to each students’ strengths and weaknesses, I first go over what they already know, consolidate their knowledge and from there, move on to the more difficult aspects of language. In each session I incorporate an element of French culture, so that they don’t simply learn a language but the culture as well. In my year as a private tutor (for the French tutoring agency Acadomia), I have had a few adult learners and I have applied this process to them as well, with a few tweaks here and there. The main reason is because they decide to learn French for more specific reasons and I always adapt my lessons according to their need rather than an exam board’s. If they need to learn business French, I make sure to change my lessons so that even examples of sentences may be used by my students. I also research what I need so that I can give them as much information about the field they are targeting. As for homework, I always try to include fun ones, using audio files and videos to work on oral comprehension and production. It is not enough to know the grammar, it is essential to be able to understand the spoken language, especially since French is tricky in terms of speaking/spelling.

What makes me a great teacher is that I care about my students. I am interested in why they want to learn, how they feel about their learning and make sure to know if we are moving too fast for them. I am patient, Rome wasn’t built in a day, and I am creative, both in my lessons and in my approach to any problems. I always find different was of explaining a point. I am adaptable, and I often put myself in their shoes to understand what gives them a hard time. I am friendly, approachable and I never judge. I also know when to push a student and when to stop, when to congratulate them and encourage them.