English Conversation Practice with Melissa

Tell us about your past experience conducting English Conversation practice sessions?

I have been conducing English conversation practice sessions for the past 5 years both in Asia and in Latin America. During that time, I have been teaching English online to bother Business English students as well as children. I enjoy teaching on Skype, because you get to do some much one on one teaching..

I also have experience assisting young adult students in preparing for English proficiency exams such as and IELTS.

What academic/professional qualifications do you have to teach English?

I majored in modern language, stylistics and linguistics [English & German] at University of Florida. and from that point about 20 years ago, I have been an aficionado of modern language learning and education. I have worked privately with students all over the world as an English conversation practice partner.

I also hold a TEFL from i-to-I International.

What is the secret to mastering English conversation skills?

English conversation practice is the key. The only way to be really fluent in English is to practice speaking a lot and that is what is great about the www.spokenenglishpractice.com English classes.

If I had to pick two areas that I spend a lot of time on during class, I would say vocabulary and pronunciation. I would use linguistics principals to aid in pronunciation issues, showing correct positioning of the mouth and tongue as a visual aid. As for vocabulary, I find dissecting current news, whether written articles or podcasts, is a useful way to keep it interesting and relevant

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Describe how you conduct an English Conversation practice class

My English conversation practice sessions are just like real conversations you would have with a friend. We will pick a topic (typically in the previous lesson) and have a conversation around it. The topic can be anything – travel, politics, stock market, pets, technology, cooking.

My goal is to give you corrections when you make mistakes in grammar, pronunciation or vocabulary. I would do this in a way you don’t lose confidence. Confidence is the single most important obstacle for students learning to speak English. When lacking in confidence, language learners are afraid to make mistakes and their communication is severely hampered. Once they have more confidence, they have less fear of saying something incorrectly, which allows them to practice more and thus improve more quickly.

Tell us about your experiences travelling the world and meeting people from different parts of the world

I spent about eight years in Asia with considerable time spent in Thailand, Taiwan, Vietnam and South Korea, where I worked as an English tutor. I spent about 6 months in Brazil several years ago and more recently some time in Peru before coming to the US, where I have been living for the past three years. In each of the places I have visited, I have had a number of memorable and educational experiences unique to that particular time and place. This travel experience has enriched my life beyond description and shaped who I am today.