ACTIVE LEARNING
together we define your goals and find the best way for you to improve
I strongly believe that a student is most active when he or she is motivated. As a teacher, I have to know “what is really useful for this student to learn?”. For the student there has to be a reason – “why am I learning this?” – which can sometimes be missing from the learning process. Grammar for grammar’s sake, or simplified phases, which you see in lots of language textbooks can be demotivating for many people. As a native Czech teacher, I have the knowledge and skills to guide students as to what is necessary (and what is an added bonus) when using their language skills in different real life contexts. The Czech language is so big and wide and so different from other languages. The best way is if the student knows why they are learning something and how to use it practically. The best feedback is when a student can see the real results of their efforts – “yes, I see the improvement, I understand better, I can use the grammar, I can speak”.
My manner of teaching and my approach to students is inspired by O.Hausenblas’s lectures on critical thinking and Active Learning. I am also inspired by the lively, funny, and active teaching style of M. Zídek (Akcent International House Prague).
NATURAL AND LIVELY
get the basic instrument for speaking in lively and natural way
When tutoring, I use lively and natural ways of learning and teaching (dialogues, lively texts, pictures, role-play, drama, discussions of real life topics, cooperative activities, project learning, learning by teaching, games, video recordings).
I present grammar in context so that students can see and understand how it works and how to use it. They get the basic “model” and can then use and vary it. In Czech, there are several ways of saying the same thing, and whilst sometimes it’s good to present all of these to the student, it is also necessary to find the simplest and most comfortable way for the speaker. With Czech, it is necessary to learn the “basic instrument of speaking” – grammar and vocabs in phrases.
REAL LIFE
really understand how the Czech works and be able to communicate
My teaching style concentrates on real life situations, presenting grammar in texts and dialogues and putting old knowledge into new contexts, in order to bring about a wider range of communicative skills, greater confidence in speaking, a deeper understanding of the language system and better knowledge of the socio-cultural context. I take a logical “step-by-step” approach, using a variety of materials, to help my students improve their language skills in the most effective way possible. I choose the main textbook based upon each student’s learning style, and also develop learning materials which are bespoke to each student’s needs (whether that is for grammar, listening, speaking, writing or whatever is needed).
For a quick and easy way to learn basic Czech: Czech Express, Step by Step and I particularly recommend Easy Czech. For B1 level I like: Česky krok za krokem and Čeština pro život
For those student who are eager to speak precisely or who are grammar-oriented, I recommend: Čeština pro cizince B1.
STUDENT FOCUS
I concentrate on each individual student’s expectations, needs and motivation in developing the best way for them to learn and improve
My students have a range of differing motivations, including simply wanting to communicate in basic situations, communicating more meaningfully with friends, achieving A1 level for Permanent Residence, studying in Czech at university, speaking perfectly at work in business meetings, or even the arrival of a new-born child.
Czech is quite a hard language to learn and speak perfectly. It can sometimes be a long-term process and so it is very important not to lose motivation. Which is why I always look for the most effective way of learning for each individual student or group. First, I focus on basic phrases in lively situations, then on more complicated dialogues and some grammar. Later on, the student studies more complicated texts through which he or she practices their grammar. I concentrate on the practical application of grammar, so that my students know where and how to use it. When learning Czech, it is important first to understand the grammar and then, later on, phrases.