Here is a list of courses AylinToefl teaches:
GRAMMAR
When learning a new language, the most fundamental component is the grammar of that language. Therefore, improving skills in English grammar is usually the first goal of a language learner. Depending on the needs of the student and his/her level of English, which I determine by giving out an assessment, I offer different levels of grammar classes; beginner, intermediate, high intermediate, and advanced levels. Each class consists of a grammar explanation, followed by various exercises in grammar, listening and conversation skills from a variety of grammar books such as “Focus On Grammar” books by Pearson or “Understanding and Using English Grammar” books by Betty Schrampher Azar. I provide handouts to students to work on and to keep; they get homework at the end of each class and we go over the homework at the beginning of each class. An average grammar class is 1 hour, unless 2 hours is requested by a student.
ACADEMIC WRITING
Writing is an important skill that needs to be developed for taking the TOEFL test, for college or for any type of educational purposes. Depending on the request and goal of the student, I teach them the structure and useful tips for writing a successful essay. Although students learn how to write essays in their home countries, they usually find that the structure used here in the USA, and the criteria that make it a successful essay, are quite different than the ones they learned back home. Hence, I teach them these criteria which I reinforce by teaching new vocabulary, new expressions, and some grammar on the side. A usual writing class is 1 hour unless the student asks for 2 hours. Homework is given according to how much progress is made on the essay during class.
VOCABULARY
No matter how good a student’s grammar is, if there is a lack in vocabulary usage and comprehension, it is fair to say that his/her English proficiency will not be adequate for further studies. Therefore, I provide students with an abundant number of new vocabulary words. We work on the meaning, we read examples and I encourage the students to make their own example sentences which will help with the learning process. I give vocabulary exercises as homework and we check them at the beginning of the next lesson. I also give them occasional vocabulary quizzes to reinforce the learning. An average vocabulary class is 1 hour.
CONVERSATION SKILLS
Knowing the English grammar well is not enough to communicate in an English speaking environment. Therefore, many students feel the need to improve their conversational skills after they improve their grammar. Once I determine the level of the student, I introduce him/her to a contemporary subject that is fun to read and talk about, which are usually from “Northstar” books by Pearson. These topics do not include controversial, religious or political issues. Each class consists of reading about the topic first, followed by new vocabulary, listening exercises and follow up conversation questions. In addition to teaching new vocabulary and improving their listening and speaking skills, I cover essential idioms, phrasal verbs and even slang that will facilitate their communication skills overall. I give homework at the end of each class and we go over the homework at the beginning of each class. An average conversation class is 1 hour unless a student asks for a 2 hour class.
ACCENT REDUCTION & pronunciation
New York is a melting pot of many different nationalities, cultures and ethnicities. Therefore it is normal to hear many different accents everywhere and it is an accepted part of our everyday lives. However, sometimes it helps to reduce our accents to be better and more clearly understood by others. Besides that, it is very important to not just know a word but to know how to pronounce it correctly. In each accent reduction and pronunciation class, I go over the phonetic alphabet and the rules of certain English letters and sounds. We exercise by trying to pronounce difficult or usually confusing words. As for accent reduction, I provide them with dialogues and scripts from famous sitcoms, shows or books and we listen to them first and try to use the same intonation and pronunciation of the words as they do. I often provide a mirror to practice pronunciation with the students so they can see how they have to shape their mouths and tongues when they speak. For homework, I give them a list of words to pronounce and a short dialogue to read and record as mp3/mp4 and send me. We go over their homework at the beginning of the next class. A class of this kind is usually 1 hour.
IDIOMS & PHRASAL VERBS
Whether you are preparing for college, for the TOEFL test, or just trying to improve your English to adapt better to an English speaking society, it is very helpful to learn conversational English which is made up of a lot of idioms, phrasal verbs and expressions. I use a variety of books, handouts and resources to teach fun and essential idioms and expressions. We go over them in a fun and educational context, and do speaking and writing exercises with them. I give homework at the end of each class and check the homework at the beginning of the next class. An average idioms/phrasal verbs class is 1 hour.
TOEFL ibt PREPARATION
The TOEFL test stands for “Test of English as a Foreign Language” and it is made up of 4 sections; reading, listening, speaking and writing. It is a test that is required by many colleges, universities, master and Phd programs, and even in some work places that shows a student’s English proficiency. Since we have to cover all 4 sections in each session, an average TOEFL class lasts for 2 hours. I provide each student a book until the day they take the test to help them review what we learned in class and to do homework. The books I use are usually “TOEFL IBT Preparation” books by Longman and by Delta. Each class starts with a new reading strategy and reading exercises followed by a new listening strategy and listening exercises. After that, a new speaking strategy is taught and the student gets a chance to practice speaking on-one-one; I time them and evaluate each and every answer after they are done. The class is concluded with a new writing strategy and some basic writing practice and outline preparation. Since grammar is an essential tool for a successful test score, if the student seems to be doing poorly on a certain grammar subject, I make sure to go over that topic as well. Moreover, I introduce new idioms and transition words which might be helpful for the listening and speaking sections and new vocabulary which are necessary for the reading section. I give reading, speaking and writing homework after each class and we check their work at the beginning of each class. As mentioned before, an average TOEFL preparation class is 2 hours.
FLUENT SPEAKING
Fluency is one of the major parts of speaking a new language; one may have great grammar knowledge, vocabulary capacity, good pronunciation and minor accent but if they lack fluency, this would create an obstacle in the communication process. This class is usually reinforced by new vocabulary, some grammar practice, pronunciation exercises and slang. I provide students with a bunch of books and online resources that have certain topics that are easy to discuss, fun to talk about and will include the grammar, vocabulary, idioms and slang that we have learned. I create a comfortable conversational atmosphere to help student relax, which will enable fluency. An average fluency class is 1 hour.
AMERICAN SLANG
Slang is an important component of colloquial English that we use on a daily basis. Besides having good grammar, pronunciation and fluency, learning slang expressions facilitates communication and comprehension. I provide a variety of books and online sources to teach up-to-date, contemporary slang; we go over the meanings and practice using them while we read and watch shows that include the slang expressions of the day. An average American slang class is 1 hour.
