Learning a foreign language is hard. It’s tougher than learning math, for instance, which requires only visual and reasoning skills. Language acquisition is individual and collective, it requires visual, listening and vocal skills; it requires exercising vocal muscles never used before to properly articulate sounds sometimes unique to that target language; it requires overcoming personal biases and negative self-perceptions in order to speak fluently; it requires finding a new voice, a new “persona” so as to make the foreign language feel as natural as possible. I could go on forever mentioning the stones on the way to fluency and that is why personal, individual and goal-oriented classes are much more productive than “one size fits all” methods. I have an extensive bibliography and have written down my general course given to those who want to start from basics, but as time goes by, each student’s needs become more individualized and free from constraints.
I’ve divided my general course following A1-C2 levels and eventually preparing my students for the English Proficiency Test of their choice.
| Level | # of hours |
| A1 – Elementary | 150h |
| A2 – Pre-Intermediate | 550h |
| B1 – Intermediate | |
| B2 – Upper-Intermediate | |
| C1 – Advanced | 500h |
| C2 – Fluent | |
| English Proficiency Test | 100h |
Each class lasts for about 55 min to give the student and the teacher enough time to address each one of the competences as shown on the graph below.
| SKILL | TIME |
| Grammar | 10 min |
| Vocabulary | 10 min |
| Pronunciation | 5 min |
| Idioms | 5 min |
| Reading | 10 min |
| Speaking | 15 min |
Every 6 weeks or so, the student is asked to read a level appropriate literature book and write a book report. I also ask my students to keep a journal to write on weekly according to what we have seen in class. Homework is essential for ESL students who need to learn English fast.
