Meet Spoken English Teacher Patrick |

Meet Spoken English Teacher Patrick

Describe your past experiences helping students improve Spoken English.

I have taught English in Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, China, and the USA. I have taught all aspects of English, to professionals and children. As a Spoken English Teacher I have helped students improve Conversational English skills and well as public speaking skills. I also have helped students improve their pronunciation and accent.

Tell us more about your education?

I have a 120 hour plus TESOL certificate as well as a BA in History from University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

As a Spoken English Teacher, how do you conduct online lessons?

I try to touch on all aspects of English through Conversations.We would start any class by discussing about a topic (E.g. your recent visit to the zoo or how you celebrated your birthday) and through the discussion I will give you corrections and feedback to improve.

Grammar is a good starting point, but in my experience, most students (aside from beginners) have a solid foundation in grammar and are alright. Grammar and vocabulary, are quite important but can be learned from a book. As a Spoken English teacher it is important to teach them what they cannot gain from texts, such as pronunciation, idioms, colloquialisms, and so on. Essentially aspects of English that make them sound more natural or flow more smoothly when speaking English.

What are your favorite conversation topics?

History, TED Talks, Pets, Technology, Mythology, Current events, Culture, Camping, Healthy lifestyles Imaginary situations, Sociology, Politics. It will be a mixture of light, casual topics and advanced, intellectual topics.

In your experience, what area in English do ESL students struggle the most? Grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation? Or is it putting all of it together in real time?

I think this very much depends on where the students are at in terms of learning English. If the student already has some knowledge of basic student structures and know about 500 words in English, what they need is more speaking practice and less grammar/vocabulary lessons.For students who are beginner level I would start by helping them grow their vocabulary.

Pronunciation is regional, depending much on the mother tongues impact on the correct production of the English language. Spanish speakers may struggle with pronunciation far more than a French speaker of English. Students from India have difficulties pronouncing the “R” sounds of English. Students from China tend to speak English too fast. As a Spoken English teacher, my job is to identify where exactly the student needs improvement.

What advice would you offer English language learners who want to improve Spoken English?

Practice your Spoken English with natives whenever the opportunity arises.This is the only way you can take your English to the next level.

There are many free resources online.Use resources like TED Talks and YouTube videos.

Speak in English as much as possible . Keep trying! Come to class on time and let’s practice. As a Spoken English Teacher, this is the only thing I ask for.