In teaching foreign languages it is important to combine playfulness and rigorous practice in ways that hone students' listening, speaking, writing, and reading skills while also engaging their personalities and unique motivations.

In a first session, it's important that the student and I discuss their goals for tutoring. Will they need continuous support throughout freshman Spanish? Do they wish to take the SAT Writing portion with confidence? Do they simply wish to brush up on German vocabulary and conversation? In the first session we will begin a dialogue about the student's learning goals, and then make a plan together for the time allotted.

In foreign languages, it's important to teach resourcefulness. We will work on tasks during our time together with materials that I bring, and I will instruct them on how to replicate those tasks at home with materials to which they can be directed--foreign language television and news, music, etc. This will give them the opportunity to apply their newly-acquired skills using primary sources.

I think it's important to add an element of performance to some sessions. One activity that I've found especially helpful is the dialogue assignment -- in foreign language teaching, I will ask a student to write a dialogue between two (or more) characters (either of their choosing or who pertain to a particular topic in their target area). Over a couple of sessions, we will work together on editing this draft (taking the writing from the brainstorming to the developed draft stage). Once the writing is prepared, I expect that we perform it together, in whichever format best suits the student (video, table reading, "staged" performance, etc). This is a multi-modal assignment which, in my experience, has proven to keep students motivated and engaged.

Multi-modal education is key. If they are having difficulty with a topic, it is likely because it hasn't been presented to them in a familiar enough way. There are many modes of learning and teaching, most of which exceed the limits of a 50- or 90- minute lecture. I intend to work hard to find modalities which pique students' interests and which resonate with their ways of thinking and learning. I have hit many a roadblock in my own academic career, so from personal experience I know how limited a mono-modal education can be. I'm very committed to tailoring sessions to each student's unique needs and interests.

As a translator, I find that "translation" exercises are helpful in this department. Often the obstacles which stand between a student (in particular a high school student or young adult) and a text are the differences that exist between the register and tone of the text, and the register with which the student is familiar. Spending some time "translating" a passage from "The Tempest" can scaffold a students' ability to comprehend the passage, which comes afterwards.

For foreign language learning, striking a balance between humor/playfulness/gaming structures and rigor/memorization/repetition seems to work quite well. That is, it's important to facilitate the student's confidence in speaking and making mistakes, while also communicating and practicing the formal elements of language.