How to Teach French

How to Teach French Teaching French as a Foreign Language ChaptersTeaching French as a Foreign LanguageWhat Does a French Teacher Do?What Qualities Do You Need to Teach French as a Foreign Language?What Training Do You Need to Become a French Teacher?The Different Types of French TeacherWho Are the Students?“Learning another language is not only learning different words for the same things, but learning another way to think about things.” - Flora LewisAround 2 and 2.5 million French citizens live outside of France and a lot of them are teaching French as a foreign language.  This just goes to show that there’s a market for those who’d like to teach French to students in primary school, secondary school, college, or university.French language classes are mainly for those in primary school and secondary. However, these aren’t the only options. A French teacher can teach immigrants, refugees, children, teenagers, or adults.So what exactly does a French as a foreign language teacher do?In this article, we're going to look at teaching French as a foreign language, what a French teacher needs to do, the qualities you need to teach effectively, the training you'll need, the different types of French teachers, and who you'll teach. AnnieFrench Teacher 4.89 (9) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors CarolineFrench Teacher 5.00 (13) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors LowriFrench Teacher 5.00 (9) £90/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MarianneFrench Teacher 5.00 (8) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ThibautFrench Teacher 5.00 (3) £19/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AnnickFrench Teacher 5.00 (6) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors DéborahFrench Teacher 5.00 (10) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors SamyFrench Teacher 5.00 (2) £100/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsTeaching French as a Foreign LanguageAs a teacher of French, you’ll be teaching those who don’t speak French as their first language.A French teacher will be teaching non-nat ive speakers. (Source: rawpixel)You can’t talk about teaching French as a foreign language without talking about French as a foreign language.Put simply, French native speakers in French-speaking countries don’t learn French as a foreign language. French lessons in these countries aren’t the same as they would be for those learning French as a foreign language. They learn French from a young age, for one.Learning French as a foreign language occurs after the student has already learnt a language. In Mali, for example, French is a second language and it’s used by part of the population.French as a foreign language is more akin to your typical foreign language classes at school. Students can learn it like they would learn Spanish, German, Italian, etc. French is taught in a different way to the native language.When you’re teaching French as a foreign language, you can teach it anywhere in the world where people want to learn the language. There are certain constraints to tea ching students in a language they don’t speak natively and you’ll need to adapt your teaching approaches.A French teacher needs to adapt to each lesson and each student as they can even find themselves in classes where the students are of different ages.What Does a French Teacher Do?If you want to teach French as a foreign language abroad, you may need to work in the private sector. A degree in French doesn’t necessarily mean you can teach French in primary or secondary schools. This is because you don’t have any teaching qualifications.A French teacher needs to adapt to their students. (Source: Wokandapix)You can teach French as a foreign language outside of schools in language academies or private lessons. The main goal of a French teacher is to teach those who don’t speak French how to speak it.The Role of a French TeacherA French teacher has different goals:Create a course: The teacher has to create courses for various ages.Create common objectives for the class while paying attention to the differing levels of each student.Teach French grammatical rules through written and speaking exercises.Share the French culture with the learners.Encourage the use of the language outside of class. AnnieFrench Teacher 4.89 (9) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors CarolineFrench Teacher 5.00 (13) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors LowriFrench Teacher 5.00 (9) £90/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MarianneFrench Teacher 5.00 (8) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ThibautFrench Teacher 5.00 (3) £19/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AnnickFrench Teacher 5.00 (6) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors DéborahFrench Teacher 5.00 (10) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors SamyFrench Teacher 5.00 (2) £100/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsWhat Qualities Do You Need to Teach French as a Foreign Language?Two of the most important qualities for any teacher are pedagogy and patience.You can lea rn on the job. (Source: PublicDomainPictures)You need to love teaching more than anything else you do. Learning a new language takes time and empathy is essential.Students can get frustrated and may struggle to understand certain concepts. The teacher is there to encourage and reassure the student, showing them how to continue and not lose confidence.A French teacher needs to listen to their students and understand their difficulties. Flexibility is key when it comes to ensuring that no student falls behind.  Of course, a French teacher needs to master the French language. They’re not expected to know everything about the language but they should be constantly learning about the language so that they can answer questions about it.When do you use “emmener” and when do you use “emporter”?Why do you sometimes pronounce the “s” in “tous”? Why do you say “il lui téléphone” but “il pense à lui”? Finally, the French teacher needs to know what learning a foreign language is like and what the students are going through.What Training Do You Need to Become a French Teacher?To become a French teacher, it’s recommended that you study French through GCSE and A Level.Being a French teacher will give you the opportunity to travel. (Source: TheAndrasBarta)After your A Levels, you can then move onto a French degree. You can study French on its own, alongside other foreign languages, or with other disciplines such as business or tourism. Then it’s recommended that you get a postgraduate degree in teaching (usually a PGCE).You can always change careers if you want and retrain as a teacher. There’s also distance learning.During your studies, you can learn how to teach French as a foreign language and adapt your lessons to the students.If you’re already abroad and want to learn how to teach French as a foreign language, you can always opt to do the DAEFLE, a qualification recognised by the Alliance Française.Finally, if you want to become a Fre nch teacher in a primary school or a secondary school, you’ll need to check the requirement for your particular country.Take French lessons London to improve your language skills.The Different Types of French TeacherThere are many different ways to teach French as a foreign language.  You can teach French at universities to foreign students, teach immigrants moving to a French-speaking country, or even offer lessons to associations or private companies.  Teachers can also be employed abroad in cultural centres or language centres.As a French teacher, you may be in a precarious position.  The best way to make sure you have job security is ensuring you have the appropriate qualifications. You could teach abroad in a public primary school, secondary school, college, or university.Your pay will depend on where you teach and the levels you teach.  It should be noted that some places have limited contract times.  Make sure you check the paperwork required by the country, too.Who Are the Students?Of course, since you’ll be teaching French as a foreign language, you won’t be teaching French people.  If you’re teaching in France, you could be teaching asylum seekers, immigrants, Erasmus students, etc.  You could also be teaching students from 1 to 99 years old.Of course, teenagers and children learn more easily than adults. Adults tend to be quite set in their ways and resistant to learning a foreign language if they’re being forced to do it. Motivation is key when it comes to learning a foreign language.Now you know more about teaching French as a foreign language, go for it!If you need more help with your French, you should consider getting help from one of the private tutors on Superprof. You can find tutors teaching a variety of subjects and skills.There are three main types of tutorials available and each has its advantages and disadvantages depending on your learning objectives and budget: face-to-face private tutorials, online tutorials, and group tuto rials.Face-to-face tutorials involve one student and one tutor. This allows students to benefit from tutorials that are tailored to them as a student and what they want to learn. Of course, this type of bespoke service comes at a cost. However, these are also the most cost-effective tutorials since your tutor will be focused on you every minute of your tutorial.Online tutorials also have the advantage of being one student and one tutor. That said, your tutor won't be there in the room with you as they'll be teaching you over the internet with the use of a webcam and software such as Skype. Without travel costs and time, online tutors can charge less per hour as they have fewer outgoings.Group tutorials tend to be the cheapest per hour as the cost of the tutor's time is shared amongst all the students in the class. If you and a few friends are interested in getting private tutorials, group tutorials could be a cheap way to do it. However, you won't get all the one-on-one time you can expect from the other two types of tutorials.With many tutors on Superprof offering free tutoring for the first hour, you can always see whether you get along and also work out the finer details of how you'd like to learn.You could even become a French private tutor yourself.

8 Must-Have Acoustic Guitars for Fall 2016 (For All Budgets)

8 Must-Have Acoustic Guitars for Fall 2016 (For All Budgets) Suzy S. In the market for a new guitar? Check out these recommendations for the best acoustic guitars released this year, courtesy of Colleen from Coustii.com Buying a  new acoustic guitar is a really exciting experience. But to make the process hassle-free, youll want to spend some time considering a few important questions. Are you just starting out, or are you an experienced guitarist? Will you be playing solo, or  with  a band? What is your budget? Once you have the answers to these, its time to pick your guitar. Here is my  list of the eight  coolest acoustic guitars released in 2016. Ibanez Artwood Vintage Guitar Brand: Ibanez Name: Artwood Vintage AVD6 Price: $499.99 Ideal for practicing, as well as playing  small, intimate gigs. Ibanezs creation is a perfect mix of technological design and acoustic tradition. It has a dreadnought body with a solid sitka spruce top. The back, neck, and sides are made out of mahogany, and the bridge and fretboard are made out of rosewood. The Artwood Vintage is ideal for carrying around as it does not take too much space. It also boasts  a nice, rich sound. Dean AXS Dreadnought Guitar Brand: Dean Name: AXS Dreadnought â€" Gloss Natural Price: $179.00 Ideal for beginning guitarists on a budget. This is the most affordable acoustic guitar on this list. It has a fantastic-looking spruce top, which is reinforced with a 2-ply binding. Its a full-scale guitar with a rosewood fingerboard and solid die-cast tuners. These allow the ax to remain tuned at all times. This guitar is  great for practicing, recording, and  live jamming. Its  fun to play, even for experienced players, and has an overall good feel to it. Gibson Songwriter Koa Guitar Brand: Gibson Name: Songwriter Koa Price: $3,649.00 Ideal for guitarists who like nice things and arent afraid to admit it. The Gibson Songwriter Koa has set the bar for  a great acoustic guitar. Its soothing, musical sound originates from the koa wood from which it is made. Gibson  even added a new compound radius fingerboard to give you the feel of an electric guitar. Perhaps no guitar is perfect, but Ive  yet to find a flaw in this one. If you can only buy one guitar in your life, this is the one you should choose! Gibson Hummingbird Red Spruce Guitar Brand: Gibson Name: Hummingbird Red Spruce Price: $3,649.00 Ideal for advanced guitarists who plan to perform. This electric-acoustic guitar offers a comfortable rounded mahogany neck and a solid rosewood fingerboard. Keeping a firm grasp on the guitar is easy and your fingers just slide down the polished fingerboard. Its design is bright and eye-catching, and you can see the almost 60 years of experience that  Gibson put into making the Hummingbird. This  is probably why megastars like  Jimmy Page, John McLaughlin, Keith Richards, and Sheryl Crow count the Hummingbird as one of their favorites! Dean Craig Wayne Boyd Gloss Natural Guitar Brand: Dean Name: Craig Wayne Boyd A/E â€" Gloss Natural Price: $449.00 Ideal for an intermediate guitarist who enjoys a good-looking ax. This name might sound familiar: Craig Wayne Boyd rose to fame after winning Season 7 of the NBC reality singing show The Voice. Now, hes  released the guitar that helped him achieve this fame. This model even  features his initials at the top. Its body is made of mahogany, and the quilt ash top makes this guitar great for the eyes and the ears. Its C-shaped neck makes it a very comfortable guitar to use. What better way to follow in Boyd’s footsteps than by choosing this guitar? Yamaha FG180-50TH Guitar Brand: Yamaha Name: FG180-50th Price: $1,300 Ideal for an experienced guitarist  who  prefers to play folk music. Yamaha released this guitar to celebrate  the 50th anniversary of the FG180. Its a limited edition model that  holds much of the folk tradition that helped make the FG180 great in the first place. This is an ideal  guitar for practically anything, from practicing to recording. It sounds great in small venues and even in big mega concerts. Martin X Series Custom 2016 X1-DE Guitar Brand: Martin Name: X Series 2016 X1-DE Price: $599.99 Ideal for environmentally friendly guitarists. This guitar is easy to play and easy on the  environment, as its made with HPL (High Pressure Laminate). It also has  a strong Stratabond neck and robust Richlite fingerboard. The X Series offers an unexpected deep tone that  sounds great, plugged in or not. Orleans Stage Acoustic Guitar Brand: Schecter Name: Orleans Stage Acoustic Price: Coming this Fall! Ideal for performing artists who like to stand out. Unlike most traditional acoustic guitars, the Orleans Stage comes in a vibrant Vampyre Red Burst Satin color. Its expected to be released in the fall of 2016.  The Stage acoustic has a 25-1/2 scale, 20-fret fingerboards, and black chrome hardware. Its base material, body and neck, are all made out of maple. Readers, what are the best acoustic guitars youve tried out this year? Leave a comment below and let us know! Further Reading: Gibson’s 2017 Electric Guitar Collection How to Buy a Guitar: All Your Questions Answered Buying the Best Beginner Acoustic Guitar | What to Avoid Colleen has a passion for guitars and ukuleles. She enjoys jamming, teaching, and getting others involved in music. Her website, Coustii, focuses specifically on guitars and ukes. Photo by Kyle McCluer Need Private Lessons? Search thousands of teachers for local and live, online lessons. Sign up for convenient, affordable private lessons today! Search for Your Teacher

How To Increase Your ISEE Quantitative Score

How To Increase Your ISEE Quantitative Score Managing time is just as important as knowing the equations on this section because you have a little less than one minute for each question. Thats why you need to use arithmetic shortcuts to solve questions quickly and correctly. Heres a sampling of what youll need to know for the ISEE quantitative reasoning section. But, if you really want to ace this section, it will be best to work with a private tutor. Your tutor will walk you through practice questions and help you find the best ways to solve them a rare advantage most students wont get. Practice without a calculator: Because you wont be given one on the test. Divisibility: Which of the following integers divides into both 200 and 150? A. 3 B. 7 C. 30 D. 50 E. 300 Divisibility rules state that numbers divisible by roots of 5 end only in 5 or 0. Both 200 and 150 end in 0; so you know the answer has to be a root of 5. Also, look for patterns like how 200-150=50. So, now that you think the answer is 50, see if it checks out by dividing 200 and 150 by 50. In this case, it does. Multiplication: Consider this question: -3 x 5 = ? Dont pay attention to negatives or positives at first, and just multiply the numbers to get 15. Then, apply these multiplication shortcuts to determine the answer has to be negative: Positive x Positive = Positive Negative x Negative = Positive Negative x Positive = Negative Odds and Evens: All you need to remember here is that even/odd numbers are always two apart in a set. Consider this set: (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8) The even numbers are 2,4,6,8 (or two apart). The odd numbers are 1,3,5,7 (also two apart). Consider the following question: If R is an odd integer, what are the next two consecutive odd integers? A) T and V B) R and R+1 C) R+1 and R+2 D) R+2 and R+4 E) R+1 and R+3 Correct answer is D because odd/even integers are always two apart in a set. Prime numbers: Are divisible only by themselves and 1. They are ALWAYS odd numbers, except for 2. Remember that 1 is not a prime number, and the first prime numbers are: (2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 29). On the test, youll need to be able to create prime factorization of numbers (dividing numbers into their prime numbers). Take the number 24, and see what prime numbers you can multiply to equal 24. The only way to do this is 2 x 2 x 2 x 3 or 23 3. Use prime factorization to answer this question If xy = 13 and both x and y are positive integers, then what is the sum of x + y? A. 13 B. 14 C. 16 D. 20 E. 26 13 is a prime number; so the only prime factorization is 13 x 1. 13 +1 = 14 (answer choice B). Percents: Can be tricky. But, use this simple equation: Part x 100 / Total. Consider this question: If Wendy missed 12 out of 80 exam questions, what is the percent of questions she missed? Simply multiply 12 x 100 = 1,200. Then, divide that by 80 = 15 (15% is your answer). Youll also see questions like: Whats 20% of 53? To figure these out, slide the decimal point over two places to the left. So 20.0 becomes 0.2. Then, multiply the decimal percentage by the number (0.2 x 53 = 10.6). Consider another type of question: 5 is what percent of 2? To answer this, you need to turn it into an algebraic equation (5 = n x 2). Then, just solve (n = 5/2 = 2.5). Next, you have to turn 2.5 into a percent by moving the decimal over two places to the left (250%). Averages: Are actually very simple questions: Jennas last four test scores were 35, 56, 75, and 28. What is the average of Jennas test scores? All you have to do is add her test scores up and divide by the total number of tests she took. When you add her four test scores up you get 194; then divide that by the total (4) to get 48.5 Varsity Tutors is always available to give you what you need to boost your ISEE score. Contact us today to see if a private ISEE tutor is right for you and your child. Or, see more information on the ISEE and ISEE Verbal Reasoning.

5 Tips for preventing someone from stealing your idea-

Introvert Whisperer / 5 Tips for preventing someone from stealing your idea- 5 Tips for Preventing Idea Theft   Self-promotion is a vital activity for everyone and sometimes harder for Introverts.   Just because it can be a challenge, doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be done.   No one but you will promote your cause. There are various things you can do that constitute self-promotion and one of those is promoting your great ideas. Creative idea generation is as important as your ability to get results and take responsibility for things. The problem you can face is what to do when you discover someone has ripped off your great idea.   It’s more than just irritating, it won’t enhance your career if you aren’t acknowledged for an idea that is given ownership to someone else.   Especially, if that idea is a seriously good one. Here’s some tips for you to consider to help prevent or to deal with this issue: There is some good news with what youve said and that is that someone thinks your ideas have merit or they wouldnt have chosen to share it as their own. Being mimicked is a high form of flattery. That said, the downside to this situation is that you dont get credited for the good idea.  Your good ideas are  part of your self-promotion, its how people come to view your potential.  Let me just say this to set your expectations you can never completely protect your ideas.  You can do some things to help reduce the likelihood of other people taking credit. When you toss out an idea, toss it out to more than 1 person.  It doesnt have to be at the same time but you will find that the more people hear your ideas; they will know its yours.  That way if someone does try to represent the idea as yours, others will know it came from you. When appropriate, document your idea via email.  Again, its hard to represent something that is in black and white and sent to others. This may take some effort, but you can inject a quick ownership sound bite when someone has talked up your idea as their own.  You could say something like I guess you really did like my idea.  We should talk about it some more.  Its important for you to realize that when someone does this, it usually isnt done with foul intent.  We all have tons of information coming at us all the time and dont always remember its origins.  I have a couple people very close to me that do this all the time. If you do know that someone has done this not only repeatedly but to undermine you, you need to stop sharing with them if you can.  Understand that your boss may do this to you (as well as others in your group) and that situation is different. Sometimes, management does represent ideas, work and results as theirs to simplify communication.  In some ways, they have to represent everything going on in their group and it may not be appropriate to detail out every single persons contribution.  The main thing is that the boss does recognize YOUR ideas and contributions. You may need to ultimately confront your offender or discuss this issue with your boss for their guidance.   Only take these steps if the tips outlined above have failed to stop a “repeat offender”. Let me emphasize that Self-Promotion doesn’t have to be obnoxious to be effective. But, if you don’t Self-Promote you, who will? If you ever want to get ahead, you have to learn how to Self-Promote. I want to help you accelerate your career by connecting you with your Free Instant Access to my video that shows you simple, yet effective ways to Self-Promote. Start watching now: CLICK HERE Brought to you by Dorothy Tannahill-Moran â€" dedicated to unleash your professional potential.

What You Need to Know About Project-Based Learning

What You Need to Know About Project-Based Learning Have you heard about project-based learning? Edutopia defines it as a dynamic classroom approach in which students explore real-world problems and challenges and acquire a deeper knowledge. This innovative methodology encourages students to think on their feet and collaborate to produce projects that present what they learned. Sound intriguing? Here are a few things you should keep in mind: It requires preparation. Project-based learning is student-led, but it requires a lot from you as the teacher. Projects you assign should be open-ended, but you must ensure that the problems or questions you have students work on are tied to content standards and establish clear learning goals. Youll achieve the best results when projects connect to the real world. Pose a complex question or challenge, and then let your students loose. Think of the project as something that might take place in the workplace. Your students must engage in critical thinking and communication and work together to come up with a solution. Its best to get students involved in the creation. Sam Houston State Universitys Center for Project-Based Learning explains that students find projects to be more meaningful if they play a creative role in the construction and planning of them. Take on the role of facilitator. Youll see your students transform. Project-based learning puts students in positions where they apply classroom knowledge to their lives and the problems they will face in the real world. There are many resources out there to learn more, including Edutopia, Buck Institute for Educations PBLWorks, and Sam Houston State Universitys Center for Project-Based Learning, among others. Do your research and get started!

New School Year Ramp Up

New School Year Ramp Up It may feel like summer just started, but next years school year is right around the corner. For kids with ADHD getting back into the swing of things at school can be challenging. A rough start to the school year can be difficult to bounce back from, and for some kids with ADHD it can kick off a downward spiral of low self-confidence and poor academic performance. Use these 5 quick tips in the 30 days leading up to the start of school to help your child with a smooth transition: Get back on a schedule set a routine. Its hard to abruptly transition from the lax routine of summer to early morning wake-ups and routines, especially for kids with ADHD who are prone to having difficulties falling asleep at night and waking up on time in the morning. So, phase in the school-year schedule gradually. Begin by inching back their wake-up time in 15-minute increments in the weeks leading up to the start of school, and make sure youve reached the school wake-up time at least one week before the first day of school. The same goes for bedtime, where later summer bedtimes should be inched back in 15-minute increments until you reach school-appropriate bedtimes at least one week before school begins. Build excitement, not dread. Instead of dreading the end of summer, work on building excitement for the year ahead! Yes, school is stressful for kids with ADHD, but there are many things that kids enjoy about school as well. Engage your child in activities that remind him or her about the fun parts of learning, like museum outings focused on science topics for the upcoming year, or popular and engaging movies about famous inventors or historical time periods. Read bedtime stories that focus on your childs favorite part of school (even if thats recess!). Form strong relationships with the teachers. Strong relationships among parents, teachers, and students are essential when a child has ADHD, and its practically never too early to start laying the foundation for good relationships here. If your school offers an open house, take advantage even if this isnt your childs first year in this school. Meet the teachers, counselors and support staff who will be assisting your child and agree to create a plan together for your childs success. Talk positively to your child about his or her new teacher. Coach your child on how to introduce himself or herself and invite your child to a meeting that both of you attend, when he or she can start to advocate for himself or herself and come up with strategies for getting extra help when needed. If your child has a 504 Plan or an IEP, get a meeting scheduled as early in the school year as possible, and have your child attend the meeting if this is appropriate in your school setting. School supply shopping with organization in mind. You know your child needs notebooks and pens but use school supply shopping as the time to set-up a homework organization plan. Ive written several blogs with recommendations about what your childs homework plan and space should look like and those may be a helpful reference here. The key thing is to get as many pieces of the homework puzzle in place before the first day of school, so your child can start building good homework habits right away. Start building academic skills before the school year begins. Huntington Learning Centers offer summer tutoring programs designed for kids of all ages. For elementary students, summer tutoring can help identify areas of weakness, and work toward developing core skills in reading, writing, and math that are at or above grade level. Your childs instructors can also help set up study skill plans that your child can use from Day 1. Being proactive and planning for the start of the new school year ahead of time can help prevent problems before they start and help your child transition into a new classroom as smoothly as possible. ABOUT DR. MARY ROONEY Mary Rooney, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California San Francisco. Dr Rooney is a researcher and clinician specializing in the evaluation and treatment of ADHD and co-occurring behavioral, anxiety, and mood disorders. A strong advocate for those with attention and behavior problems, Dr. Rooney is committed to developing and providing comprehensive, cutting edge treatments tailored to meet the unique needs of each child and adolescent. Dr. Rooney's clinical interventions and research avenues emphasize working closely with parents and teachers to create supportive, structured home and school environments that enable children and adolescents to reach their full potential. In addition, Dr. Rooney serves as a consultant and ADHD expert to Huntington Learning Centers. ABOUT HUNTINGTON Huntington Learning Center is the tutoring and test prep leader. Its certified tutors provide individualized instruction in reading, phonics, writing, study skills, elementary and middle school math, Algebra through Calculus, Chemistry, and other sciences. It preps for the SAT and ACT, as well as state and standardized exams. Huntington programs develop the skills, confidence, and motivation to help students of all levels succeed and meet the needs of Common Core State Standards. Founded in 1977, Huntington's mission is to give every student the best education possible. Call us today at 1.800.CAN LEARN to discuss how Huntington can help your child. For franchise opportunities please visit www.huntingtonfranchise.com. This website does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The material on this site is provided for educational purposes only.

Thanks to all the great people at The Polyglot Gathering in Berlin

Thanks to all the great people at The Polyglot Gathering in Berlin From April 30th to May 4th, hundreds of language enthusiasts gathered in Berlin to share in their passion for languages, swap tricks of learning new languages quickly and efficiently.   Kevin Chen, CEO and Co-founder of italki shares his experience: Being based in Shanghai, we unfortunately dont get that many opportunities to meet many of our users face-to-face. This is one of the reasons why I was so impressed and inspired by the Polyglot Gathering in Berlin.  Imagine being surrounded by hundreds of people who love learning languages, and who want to make real human connections with people around the world. Here are just a few highlights: Speaking with Judith Meyer, the main organizer of the Polyglot Conference.  In addition to managing a great event, she is an amazing polyglot.  I was afraid to test her debate skills in Chinese. Learning more about Benny Lewis and his personal journey.  Weve known Benny for a long time (he visited us in Shanghai in 2012!), and his message is always so positive.  Being a successful language learner is all about the desire, and an open-minded willingness to try learning in a different way. Meeting Olly Richards and learning more about his personal experiences in learning Arabic in Egypt.  His feedback on Arabic is already helping us at italki. Meeting Richard Simcotts  and hearing him speak about what it means to be a polyglot.  Hell also be co-organizing the Polyglot Conference, which is coming up in October. Getting a taste of the life of an interpreter from Lydia Machová.  For a laugh, ask her about her experiences interpreting for hallucinating shamans and European tourists. Meeting Ulysses Hsiúng-Lúo and getting his unique perspective on the world. Being impressed by Vladimir Skultety, a Slovak whose American accent and amazing Chinese would allow him to pass as a native of either place. Getting advice from Michael Levi Harris, a polyglot actor who spoke about how actors practice sounding like native speakers.  Check out his hilarious short film (based on his real experiences in New York), The Hyperglot. I also have to make a special mention of the italki teachers that I met Alina, Lea, and Shauna!  I know there are others who attended, and I wish I had had more time to meet everyone. Lea /frencheek One of italkis most popular French teachers, and also one of Bennys teachers! Alisa /teacher/996362 A successful Russian and Hebrew teacher, and also an entrepreneur with big dreams. Shana /teacher/1552674 Another great teacher that is able to teach online while traveling around the world. I met so many great people, and this post would go on forever if I tried to list them all. The whole experience made a strong impression on me, and it fired up my desire to start studying again.  I considered starting Esperanto, partly based on my conversation with Chuck Smith and Katerine Berone-Adesi from the Esperanto community.  However, I want to make one more push at improving my Chinese.  (Im thinking I will take the pledge in the next italki Challenge in June.) Once again, if you have never heard of the Polyglot Gathering, I really recommend going.  Youll meet fascinating people, and be inspired to start or restart learning a language.  At italki, we believe the future of education is moving in this direction people will be driven by their passions and by a desire to understand the world.  We hope that italki can continue to be an important part of this movement! Kevin Thanks to all the great people at The Polyglot Gathering in Berlin From April 30th to May 4th, hundreds of language enthusiasts gathered in Berlin to share in their passion for languages, swap tricks of learning new languages quickly and efficiently.   Kevin Chen, CEO and Co-founder of italki shares his experience: Being based in Shanghai, we unfortunately dont get that many opportunities to meet many of our users face-to-face. This is one of the reasons why I was so impressed and inspired by the Polyglot Gathering in Berlin.  Imagine being surrounded by hundreds of people who love learning languages, and who want to make real human connections with people around the world. Here are just a few highlights: Speaking with Judith Meyer, the main organizer of the Polyglot Conference.  In addition to managing a great event, she is an amazing polyglot.  I was afraid to test her debate skills in Chinese. Learning more about Benny Lewis and his personal journey.  Weve known Benny for a long time (he visited us in Shanghai in 2012!), and his message is always so positive.  Being a successful language learner is all about the desire, and an open-minded willingness to try learning in a different way. Meeting Olly Richards and learning more about his personal experiences in learning Arabic in Egypt.  His feedback on Arabic is already helping us at italki. Meeting Richard Simcotts  and hearing him speak about what it means to be a polyglot.  Hell also be co-organizing the Polyglot Conference, which is coming up in October. Getting a taste of the life of an interpreter from Lydia Machová.  For a laugh, ask her about her experiences interpreting for hallucinating shamans and European tourists. Meeting Ulysses Hsiúng-Lúo and getting his unique perspective on the world. Being impressed by Vladimir Skultety, a Slovak whose American accent and amazing Chinese would allow him to pass as a native of either place. Getting advice from Michael Levi Harris, a polyglot actor who spoke about how actors practice sounding like native speakers.  Check out his hilarious short film (based on his real experiences in New York), The Hyperglot. I also have to make a special mention of the italki teachers that I met Alina, Lea, and Shauna!  I know there are others who attended, and I wish I had had more time to meet everyone. Lea /frencheek One of italkis most popular French teachers, and also one of Bennys teachers! Alisa /teacher/996362 A successful Russian and Hebrew teacher, and also an entrepreneur with big dreams. Shana /teacher/1552674 Another great teacher that is able to teach online while traveling around the world. I met so many great people, and this post would go on forever if I tried to list them all. The whole experience made a strong impression on me, and it fired up my desire to start studying again.  I considered starting Esperanto, partly based on my conversation with Chuck Smith and Katerine Berone-Adesi from the Esperanto community.  However, I want to make one more push at improving my Chinese.  (Im thinking I will take the pledge in the next italki Challenge in June.) Once again, if you have never heard of the Polyglot Gathering, I really recommend going.  Youll meet fascinating people, and be inspired to start or restart learning a language.  At italki, we believe the future of education is moving in this direction people will be driven by their passions and by a desire to understand the world.  We hope that italki can continue to be an important part of this movement! Kevin