French beginners: module 1

Neil is a highly experienced languages teacher, specialising in French and German. He studied at the universities of Tours, Strasbourg and Trier and gained a Masters in Education at King’s College London. Neil has taught in mainstream schools, FE colleges (including City Lit) and universities in the London area. In 2008 Neil moved into consultancy work, leading the Government’s roll-out and delivery of the Key Stage 3 National Languages Strategy and introducing vocational qualifications for 16-18-year olds. Neil has also worked for an educational charity, supporting languages teaching and training. In addition to teaching at The City Lit, Neil trains beginning languages teachers, working with independent schools including Dulwich College and Westminster School and he teaches part-time in secondary and primary schools in Hertfordshire. He also works in a voluntary capacity for the Teacher Regulation Agency, chairing and hearing teacher misconduct hearings and appeals and is a volunteer with his local Community Allotment organisation and The Harmony Garden.

A love of language, of words, of the intricacies of grammar was instilled at an early age into Pascale as a young child, sitting at the back of ther mother's classroom, taking it all in. Her professional destiny was sealed... After setting up and delivering language courses in the private sector as well as government agencies and TV channels she was eager to enter the great community and the ethos of Adult Education. Pascale believes that it is both an enormous privilege and responsability to instill, foster and sustain a thirst for learning in a fun, safe and welcoming environment. Her secret ingredients are humour and energy.

Daniel Fernández is a French tutor who was born and grew up in a small industrial town in the French Alps. He was inspired not only by his great teachers but also by his first experiences teaching English during his studies in southeast Asia. Daniel has experience of teaching French at all levels in a variety of contexts including companies, local authorities, charities, and private clients. He likes the energy and commitment required to meet the challenges of teaching. He also finds teaching French rewarding and enjoys seeing learning take place in the classroom.

Estelle became interested in languages in secondary school, in France, where she had an inspiring and brilliant English teacher who made students speak the language for the whole lesson. This approach was quite ground-breaking at the time! After studying English at university and working briefly as a translator, she developped a passion for teaching after discovering a course to become a teacher of French as a foreign language when she moved to London many years ago. Estelle has taught adults from all different backgrounds and levels and has also enjoyed being a language learner herself. “Being quite musical, I particularly love the sound of languages, I am also passionate about learning in general. I think learning languages not only helps you discover other cultures but also enable people to develop many competences such as communication skills”.

Michel is an enthusiastic qualified teacher, and his teaching approach is centred on the needs and requirements of the student. In his language classroom he uses role-play encouraging communication in pairs, fill-in-gap exercises, speaking, reading, and listening to promote effective communication in the target language. In 2007 he completed research on Second Language Acquisition theories and their impact in the language classroom and obtained a Post-Graduate Certificate in Education from Institute of Education University of London. Michel has taught in a variety of educational settings from College Further Education to Higher Education, including corporate training for major companies and international organisations. He has many years experience in teaching a variety of learners, from absolute beginners to advanced students. Beloved words: "In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. But, in practice, there is"

Dr Maša Uzelac holds a BA (Hons) and an MA degree in Romance Studies from the University of Novi Sad in Serbia. She specialised in French, Italian, and Portuguese language and literature. She has an extensive experience in MFL teaching, both in Higher Education and as a private language tutor. Maša completed a PhD in French Studies at the University of Galway in Ireland. Her research interests include literature, politics, and philosophy. Maša's most recent research project explored the concept of ambivalent utopianism in the works of authors Michel Houellebecq and Aldous Huxley. Maša lived in different countries including Serbia, Portugal, France and Ireland. She is currently based in Liverpool and works as an Associate Tutor in French at Edge Hill University. She speaks Serbian, French, English, Italian, Portuguese and Hungarian