​Unlock Your Language Learning Potential with Guided Self-Study

As an adult professional learning English, it is important to set aside some time each week to prepare for your lessons. This could involve dedicating 15 minutes each week to review the materials covered in the previous class, familiarize yourself with the upcoming topics, and practice any relevant skills.

By taking this time to prepare, you will be better equipped to engage with your instructor during the lesson. You will also be more confident and better able to participate in discussions, ask questions, and express yourself in English.

Furthermore, dedicating just 15 minutes a week to review and practice can help you reinforce what you've learned and build upon your knowledge and skills over time. This can lead to greater fluency and proficiency in the language.

I want to inform you that starting in March, I will be offering the opportunity for guided self-study to help you further enhance your language learning experience. 

During the guided self-study sessions, you will have the opportunity to practice and reinforce the material covered in your regular lessons. The materials and activities provided will be designed to help you review and consolidate what you have learned in class, and to further develop your language skills.

Ah, Valentine's Day. That special day where love is in the air and couples everywhere are celebrating their love for one another. But what about those of us whose dancing days are gone? What do we do on this love-filled holiday when you are simply too advanced in age or the whole idea of sugar-coated holiday is just not for you ? Fear not, dear reader, for I have the perfect solution: playing cards for money.

That's right, forget about fancy dinners or romantic walks on the beach. Who needs all that when you can sit at home and gamble away your life savings? And what better way to show your significant other you care than by winning big bucks off of them in a heated game of poker?

Sure, some might argue that gambling is a dangerous addiction and that you should spend your time doing something more meaningful. But let's be real, what's more meaningful than the thrill of the bet and the rush of adrenaline that comes with it?

And think about the benefits of playing cards for money on Valentine's Day. You don't have to worry about dressing up or going out in the cold. You can just cosy up on the couch with your sweetheart and let the cards do the talking.

Plus, you might also take advantage of other risky habits like smoking cigars, cigarettes or pipes - cards love them. Or a glass of bourbon or other fancy drink - whenever I watch people playing cards these are always somewhere at hand.  

So there you have it, folks. The perfect Valentine's Day activity for those of us who can't and most of all shouldn't dance any more. Just remember to gamble responsibly and not to let your winnings go to your head. After all, love may be priceless, but winning big at poker is pretty sweet too.

Happy Friday everyone! Let's step into weekend with a bit of inspiration and a whole lot of good vibes.
Below, You will find three really short clips that I've come across this week. I find them dead funny. Plus, all of them have some educational value. Hope you will enjoy them! 

When people asked me what I did for a living, I wasn't always very happy to say that I was a teacher. I guess it sounded so ordinary. I was coming up with some funky and jazzy names of my profession because I felt that the things I did couldn't possibly be labelled -TEACHER-
Now, I see things differently. Being a teacher is not only my job, it's my vocation. But I aspire, not only to be a teacher, but to be A GOOD TEACHER or even great one day! 
This year I decided to ask my students to share their ideas on what a good teacher is. And today, as a part of the Teacher's Day celebration I am going to ponder on their ideas and have a piece of cake. A Happy Teacher's Day to me! 
Below I present my students' work and their contribution to this post. I am very grateful for their involvement. Their ideas will help me to set next goals for myself and look at things from a different perspective. It will also motivate me to work on the areas that I might have neglected or put off board. 

​I think that at the bottom of every single thing that we do is our motivation or a lack of it. Motivation is not necessarily connected with having results, or maybe more accurately, setting and reaching spectacular goals. However, in order to be a good student you need to "WANT" - want to learn; want to discover, want to grow, want to explore ... Without this initial and later on nurtured "want", it would be very hard, if not impossible to engage yourself in any learning experience.  

Trying is difficult; doing things over and over again can be dull and daunting. Having the ability to keep on trying is an extremely precious thing and anybody who has it can embark themselves on a wonderful journey of becoming better and better. You can always start again. It doesn't matter how many times you tried. If you WANT, there's always a blank page to write a new chapter. And sometimes you need a whole set of drafts before you can put it together into something meaningful. 

​Cooperation for me is a dialogue; it's willingness to be engaged; to give not only take. A good student contributes into their lesson and the whole teaching-learning process. I strongly believe that as much as students need to guided in their learning, teachers also need to shepherded in the whole process. Communicating your needs to your teacher; giving them some background of your current language necessities, sharing feedback with them is absolutely essential for your cooperation to be successful. 

​It's a bit of a joke but every little bit of organisation helps. Having a notebook is good but what's even better is to have notes there- notes which you can easily access, update and use. Knowing the technicalities of your learning must-haves simply saves time.

​I have a few places on my itinerary that I absolutely must visit. But they are not necessarily top ten tourist attractions. I prefer secret London. It's not that I think the most popular tourist attractions aren't worth checking out - of course, they are! But that's not what I'm here for.

​On this trip, however, I want to visit the Tate Modern. I've never been there before. The Tate Modern is located near the Thames and is surrounded by tall, modern buildings. It is a very nice part of the city. If I had more time, I would probably go for a walk along the riverbank or something. Anyway, back to the museum. The museum building is quite large - that is my first impression. When I go inside, it seems almost surreal how spacious and contemporary the building is. It has several exhibition floors. I already know that I won't manage to see everything. I have two hours and I am literally storming the place. But I know I want to go back there. I am enchanted. Below are just a few highlights from this trip.

​There are a couple of other stops on my list - meeting a friend in Stanmore, where the Jubilee line ends. It turns out to be quite an exciting and scary ride. You can watch my short video here to find out why.

​Then the must-walk through Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens, Chinatown for dinner, Portobello St. for a morning chill-out, and Oxford Street for shopping.
Time flies! People are rushing around you, the city is bustling, and yet I feel relaxed. There is something about the hustle and bustle of this city that makes me feel alive. I really don't know how to describe it. There is a famous saying: "When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life". Well, I guess I'm not as tired of life as I thought.

I have waited with posting this blog post for quite some time. The reason, this time, cannot be attributed either to my laziness or business. The fact is that I have been patiently waiting for my delivery, just to show you the number of goodies I purchased. The day has finally come and I am able to share with you some photos of my latest shopping-spree. At the same time, I want to push you a little bit to present yourselves with some books in English. After all it is a festive season, the season of giving so what other time could be better to enrich your books collection with some new titles. Stop playing Scrooge this Christmas and pamper yourself - and who knows maybe your loved ones as well - with something that will boost your motivation for learning and if not that, something that will definitely present itself proudly on a shelf in your living room.

Here's a sneak-peak of my first series of common mistakes exposed. 
Sit back, relax and enjoy the presentation!
If you want to get your own downloadable version please fill in the form below. The stickers can come in the standard white version or they can also be available in the blue colour. 
What kind of mistakes would you like me to cover in the 2nd edition? 

I understand that for many of you talking in the lesson is the most important thing. And perhaps, it should be. But in the learning process the speaking practice should be something more than repeating the same old structures and words. And this “more” comes from targeting certain structures and words. However, to target them, you need to have them written down at some point. And, believe me, there are plenty of opportunities when you can jot things down. 
​

• Listen to your teacher. Ask them about the vocabulary they use and write the expressions down.
• Listen to podcasts, videos, songs, any listening input will do - note some words/expressions down; investigate them and try to use them later on.
• The same would apply to any, and I mean, any written text - be it an article, a post in your favourite social media, a book that you are currently reading, an exercise your teacher has asked you to do. Sky's the limit! 

I am not completely sure this post should aspire to its title. It seems that squeezing in a challenge has turned out to be difficult not only for you but also for me. Anyhow, we are here to learn from our mistakes and there's no better feeling than being back on track. And so we are now with our October challenge. 
This month I will try to encourage to you to take advantage of multiple online events available on Linkedin. So often times we discuss your professional issues during our lessons. And honing your English skills can always go together with your self-development. Put your English into context, learn something new and have a feeling of accomplishment. Sweet! 
And how to find interesting events? 
Let's say that you are interested in "coaching", then you type your interest into a searching box and voila! Please read the event description and don't forget to register. Also, make sure that the event is free of charge; you can participate in the paid ones later on. 
​Here is a pic to get you more familiar with the search.