How do you get the most out of your language tutoring?
January 21, 2023 7:46 AM Subscribe
I just hired a tutor on italki. I like the tutor a lot, but I feel like maybe I’m not using the sessions as efficiently as I could be. Do you have any suggestions for me?
I’m trying to improve my German, which is pretty elementary, like A2 level. Right now the sessions are pretty freeform (I’ve had only two); last time we spent a lot of the time reading a book together aloud and then I would translate as we went along.
If you’ve had one-on-one language tutoring, either through italki or any other way, what do you find most useful during the sessions? Or if you’re a tutor, what do you think is most useful for your students?
I’m trying to improve my German, which is pretty elementary, like A2 level. Right now the sessions are pretty freeform (I’ve had only two); last time we spent a lot of the time reading a book together aloud and then I would translate as we went along.
If you’ve had one-on-one language tutoring, either through italki or any other way, what do you find most useful during the sessions? Or if you’re a tutor, what do you think is most useful for your students?
Long-time language tutor and translator in my past life.
What do you want to improve, specifically? Translating helps you learn translating but doesn't really help you use the language IMO.
Do you want to learn to express yourself in German? Understand the news? Read German books? Converse with German speakers? Use German at work?
Depending on your aims you could spend your sessions very productively in very different ways.
posted by M. at 8:33 AM on January 21, 2023 [4 favorites]
What do you want to improve, specifically? Translating helps you learn translating but doesn't really help you use the language IMO.
Do you want to learn to express yourself in German? Understand the news? Read German books? Converse with German speakers? Use German at work?
Depending on your aims you could spend your sessions very productively in very different ways.
posted by M. at 8:33 AM on January 21, 2023 [4 favorites]
Response by poster: M., thanks, that’s something I should have specified. I’d like to be able to easily have a conversation in German with German speakers — not discussing Freud or Hegel or anything like that, but say a fairly casual conversation you’d have with someone you just met at a work function or a dinner party.
posted by holborne at 8:49 AM on January 21, 2023
posted by holborne at 8:49 AM on January 21, 2023
Best answer: Hi! I'm a German teacher and tutor who has studied and taught in three countries with two decades of experience. I actually just returned from a Saturday morning tutoring session so your question is timely. It sounds like you are enjoying and benefiting from sessions so far, which is what's most important. Achieving A2 is impressive so congratulations!
My question is also about your tutor's background: are they a specialized and experienced DaF instructor or just a nice person who's bilingual but not formally trained? There's no wrong answer, of course, but the former can prepare specific lessons tailored exactly to your needs and wants. The latter is great but probably would want you to take the lead in planning.
I like the Menschen textbook series, which is used at many a Goethe Institut around the world. They are the gold standard for learning German, as you know, and my go-to for instruction that's not just fun and games. When teaching in the US, I use the textbook provided by the school or university plus supplementary material online and a LOT of programs and videos from the Deutsche Welle. Their A2.1 Glossar XXL has great vocabulary lists arranged thematically. The book is meant as a supplement to the A2.1 Kursbuch BUT tbh you can use both separately. Since your goal is conversation, you could study thematic units then have conversations using the vocabulary and grammar with your tutor. You can buy an online edition and screenshare so they don't need to purchase the book themselves.
A great free resource is Deutsche Welle's Learn German series. It's free and interactive, intended for self-study but best when also reviewed with a tutor! If you haven't seen the cheesy and cute Nicos Weg (A1/A2/B1) you could watch it together, then stop and discuss what you see or role play. They have other series, too, but that's got almost 20 million views for a good reason!
FAZIT: Magst du den*die Tutor*in? Macht die Nachhilfestunde dir Spaß? Lernst du jedes Mal irgendetwas Neues? Fühlst du dich wohl dabei?
JA? Dann machst du es richtig. Mach ruhig weiter!
P.S. It's very German to self-reflect and want to optimize your learning experience. Sehr gut!
posted by smorgasbord at 9:15 AM on January 21, 2023 [6 favorites]
My question is also about your tutor's background: are they a specialized and experienced DaF instructor or just a nice person who's bilingual but not formally trained? There's no wrong answer, of course, but the former can prepare specific lessons tailored exactly to your needs and wants. The latter is great but probably would want you to take the lead in planning.
I like the Menschen textbook series, which is used at many a Goethe Institut around the world. They are the gold standard for learning German, as you know, and my go-to for instruction that's not just fun and games. When teaching in the US, I use the textbook provided by the school or university plus supplementary material online and a LOT of programs and videos from the Deutsche Welle. Their A2.1 Glossar XXL has great vocabulary lists arranged thematically. The book is meant as a supplement to the A2.1 Kursbuch BUT tbh you can use both separately. Since your goal is conversation, you could study thematic units then have conversations using the vocabulary and grammar with your tutor. You can buy an online edition and screenshare so they don't need to purchase the book themselves.
A great free resource is Deutsche Welle's Learn German series. It's free and interactive, intended for self-study but best when also reviewed with a tutor! If you haven't seen the cheesy and cute Nicos Weg (A1/A2/B1) you could watch it together, then stop and discuss what you see or role play. They have other series, too, but that's got almost 20 million views for a good reason!
FAZIT: Magst du den*die Tutor*in? Macht die Nachhilfestunde dir Spaß? Lernst du jedes Mal irgendetwas Neues? Fühlst du dich wohl dabei?
JA? Dann machst du es richtig. Mach ruhig weiter!
P.S. It's very German to self-reflect and want to optimize your learning experience. Sehr gut!
posted by smorgasbord at 9:15 AM on January 21, 2023 [6 favorites]
If you want to learn to converse, you need to practice conversing.
One way I've found online language teachers like to do this is to ask you about your week (what you've done, what a highlight was) but after a few weeks that gets kind of old unless you have a more exciting life than mine.
So maybe you can agree some topics of interest in advance that you could chat on? The best one I ever had was with a Spanish teacher in Nicaragua who had persisted in asking about my week, every week, when we were in a hard lockdown and literally all I did was work and sleep and watch TV. But one day we managed to get chatting about politics in Nicaragua, and the Sandinistas and national parades and it was so much more interesting, and motivating - I did lots of asking questions as well as listening and having to understand her, and we talked a bit about politics where I live as well.
Also - a thing I keep meaning to do but never quite get around to - keep a list of the new vocabulary that comes up in each session (there should always be new vocab coming up - don't be afraid to ask how to say something, even if you have to break into English to do it), turn it into flashcards, and learn it over the next week. That way you learn the words that you actually need to make chit chat about the things that interest you.
Just building on smorgasbord's answer: There's also an interactive version of Nicos Weg, with questions after each video to practice what you've watched.
posted by penguin pie at 3:19 PM on January 21, 2023 [1 favorite]
One way I've found online language teachers like to do this is to ask you about your week (what you've done, what a highlight was) but after a few weeks that gets kind of old unless you have a more exciting life than mine.
So maybe you can agree some topics of interest in advance that you could chat on? The best one I ever had was with a Spanish teacher in Nicaragua who had persisted in asking about my week, every week, when we were in a hard lockdown and literally all I did was work and sleep and watch TV. But one day we managed to get chatting about politics in Nicaragua, and the Sandinistas and national parades and it was so much more interesting, and motivating - I did lots of asking questions as well as listening and having to understand her, and we talked a bit about politics where I live as well.
Also - a thing I keep meaning to do but never quite get around to - keep a list of the new vocabulary that comes up in each session (there should always be new vocab coming up - don't be afraid to ask how to say something, even if you have to break into English to do it), turn it into flashcards, and learn it over the next week. That way you learn the words that you actually need to make chit chat about the things that interest you.
Just building on smorgasbord's answer: There's also an interactive version of Nicos Weg, with questions after each video to practice what you've watched.
posted by penguin pie at 3:19 PM on January 21, 2023 [1 favorite]
Late to the party, sorry. I'm taking on-line Japanese classes, and to compensate for my aging brain, I've also engaged an on-line tutor. The tutor usually reviews my homework, and I ask questions about it, usually in English, to reinforce my understanding for the upcoming class.
I also try each time to tell the tutor in Japanese what's been going on in my life. Along the way, she helps me increase my vocabulary about daily activities and my favorite hobbies. In some of the tutorials, if I haven't had time to prepare any homework, we just wing it in random conversation. It think whatever we do is a plus.
posted by JimN2TAW at 8:56 AM on January 24, 2023 [1 favorite]
I also try each time to tell the tutor in Japanese what's been going on in my life. Along the way, she helps me increase my vocabulary about daily activities and my favorite hobbies. In some of the tutorials, if I haven't had time to prepare any homework, we just wing it in random conversation. It think whatever we do is a plus.
posted by JimN2TAW at 8:56 AM on January 24, 2023 [1 favorite]
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