Julie
Certified Tutor
I earned both my BA and my MA in French and Francophone Studies from the University of Illinois at Chicago. I tutored various subjects as a volunteer with the NBC Homework Hotline, and I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to teach French for 2 years while earning my Master's. I am very passionate about learning and teaching foreign languages, and I hope to share that with my students. In my experience students particularly enjoy (and benefit from) learning and exploring new cultures while learning the language itself. As the child of a teacher I am a strong believer in the importance of education and all of the opportunities it offers to students. I finished my MA in May with a thesis on French fairy tales, but I also enjoy reading as much as I can, spending time with my family, and neighborhood trivia tournaments.
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Undergraduate Degree:University of Illinois at Chicago- Bachelor in Arts, French and Francophone Studies
Graduate Degree:University of Illinois at Chicago- Master of Arts, French and Francophone Studies
I enjoy reading, movies, spending time with my family, and attending (and sometimes winning) local team trivia nights.
What strategies have you found to be most successful when you start to work with a student?
I find that getting to know a student and their individual interests greatly improves their experience and hopefully their interests in the subject. Foreign languages offer plenty of opportunities for varied interests, whether they're sports, music, movies or nearly anything else! Incorporating these interests into lessons makes learning more enjoyable and more beneficial to the student.
What techniques would you use to be sure that a student understands the material?
To ensure students understand the material, I believe practice and then review is key. After practicing a new concept with a student, I usually use more involved activities that require the student to generate their sentences or examples to demonstrate their understanding. An occasional quiz also helps assess their progress.
What types of materials do you typically use during a tutoring session?
I believe a variety of materials and activities help students learn more while also keeping lessons more interesting for students and tutors. Written activities are great practice, but videos and listening activities can often offer great listening practice and cultural value when learning a foreign language.