So, you have decided to start speaking your target language? You have made great progress and are now ready to speak and learn with a tutor. Optionally, you have started speaking the language and decided the best thing to do is speak from day 1.
Yes, speaking your target language can be a scary experience. However, it is important to know that you can survive your first language tutoring lesson despite being an introvert or extrovert.
However, some of you may not be into self-study and prefer language classes with a tutor. As such, it is important to note that language classes are optional and not required as everything (apart from speaking and writing corrections) can be self-studied. However, it is good to note that those taking classes it is good to work on your language skills outside of the class so that you can progress at a good pace.
As someone who has learnt multiple languages, it gets easier with time but here are my suggestions about how to prepare for your first tutoring lesson:
Prepare ahead of time:
One of the best ways to set yourself up for success is to prepare beforehand. As the saying goes: To prepare to fail is to fail to prepare. In my opinion, if you are having a conversation class it is good to prepare a list of topics to talk about or perhaps vocabulary you will need to do with online lessons for example how to say:
Can you hear me?
I can / can’t see you.
My internet connection is bad.
And so on.
If you’re preparing for your first language class with no prior experience, try to figure out some goals you want to achieve with your language in the short and long term.
Also, self-studying some material before the lessons and coming to the class with a list of questions about this material could be especially useful.
Research the teacher before you decide to book a lesson:
I think that researching before booking is very important. First, you need to ask yourself: what kind of lesson or teacher am I looking for?
Speaking on day 1 vs waiting:
Speaking a foreign language with no prior experience on day 1 can be very intimidating, especially for introverts. As such, it is recommended that you wait a bit, especially if you want to have a good conversation which requires a foundation of at least a few hundred words.
However, if you’ve had prior experience learning a language before or maybe you’re an extrovert who doesn’t care about making mistakes, then I do recommend speaking from day 1. However, I would caution against using this as an only method and to use online courses/textbooks as well.
For those waiting a while, it is ok to wait a few months but don’t put it off for too long because to speak well there is no shortcut but you must speak a lot. Only then can you speak well and speak comfortably.
Before the lesson begins:
Many websites are good for finding online tutors to book for language lessons or language practice. Some examples of these are websites such as iTalki and Preply. These allow tutors to connect with students.
Once you have signed up to iTalki or a similar website you will have a vast array of tutors to choose from. They will have reviews and the number of lessons/students they will have, giving an indication of their level of expertise and experience in teaching students.
There will also be several filters; where you can filter different teachers by language, speciality etc and can be useful to figure out what tutor would be the best fit for you.
Once you find a suitable tutor you can send them a message detailing what type of lesson you will be looking for, your current level etc, so that they get to know you and so break the ice before the class starts.
You can then choose to book a lesson/trial lesson with a tutor and also pick whatever VoIP software you prefer, such as Skype or Zoom (some platforms such as iTalki / Preply also have their in-built platform to choose from).
During the Lesson:
The lesson itself. To make it go as smoothly as possible it’s good to have tools at hand to promote this.
For example: to check that your microphone, internet connection and sound are working correctly.
You may also want to have an online dictionary open, a pen and paper or Google Translate available as well.
You can ask the tutor to write down new words in a document.
After the lesson:
Feel free to leave a review and book another lesson with the tutor if you enjoyed it.
If new words have been written down, process the new words and start learning the new vocabulary using tools such as Anki.
Conclusion:
Overall, speaking is a very important skill to develop; the only way to develop this skill is to speak a lot. Finding a tutor to speak with will mean you will have the all-important speaking practice you will be looking for.
What do you think? Have you ever practised speaking with a language tutor before? Let me know in the comments below.
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