Information About Jeanne - Wincanton teacher -

(13 reviews)

Personal Description:

Native French, married with an Italian, I've been living in England since 2000 after laureating in History of Art in France and worked in Italy for a couple of years. Since the birth of my children - I am a mother of 4, aged between 10 and 18- I have been focusing especially on Languages, researching about the benefits of speaking several languages and the development of bilingual children. Recently, I have completed a Linguistic Course, and I am currently training in Child Psychology. I am also intensively practicing Spanish, which I learnt as a child, and looking at learning Arabic as a new challenge. In short, languages are an important part of my life, and I feel strongly about sharing my interest for them with others!

Teaching Experience:

I have started tutoring more than 10 years ago, motivated by our move to the English countryside. I first set up an after-school club at the local Primary School as well as conversation groups for adults, both in French and Italian. I quickly moved to teaching any age and ability, including Common Entrance, GCSE and A Level exams. I gained a qualification as a Teaching Assistant, spending time in several schools where I observed and then hold language classes. I have also been a school governor for many years, regularly training in Safeguarding and Child Psychology.

Teaching Approach:

The most important thing is to understand your needs and the first question is: do you want to learn the language because you have to or because you want to? Then, the point is to make it as fluid as possible: French and Italian are difficult languages, and you just want to see yourself making progress and having fun. To reach this target, I try to diversify my courses and integrate some cultural and social facts into the teaching so you learn the language as well as the habits of the chosen country. Grammar is unfortunately compulsory to gain a full knowledge in French or Italian but grammatical elements are integrated to the course slowly so you don't get overwhelmed by them. I also dispense some technical sheets outside of lessons so you can perfect your learning at your own pace if you have time to. I like to vary the resources used, from newspaper articles, to podcasts, Youtube videos, movies, literature etc. I encourage all my students to speak as much as they can over the lesson, as it is the only real way to embrace a new language!