The surprising benefits of describing pictures!

Many of you who have taken lessons with me will know that I'm a big fan of incorporating photographic descriptions into my lessons where appropriate. There are many reasons why I do this!

I believe that our brains are better at remembering new vocabulary and phrases when we also have a visual image to associate them with. I have personal experience of seeing rapid growth in students who engage with visual images as part of their learning.

Some people feel worried about purely conversational classes because they find it stressful to give opinions or think about what to say. Describing a photo or picture can provide a clear focus for your speaking while being just as beneficial. This can help to build confidence.

Describing pictures can broaden our descriptive vocabulary. This improvement will transfer into normal daily conversation where you will feel better able to talk about your experiences in more depth.

Certain areas of grammar, such as prepositions and switching between present simple & present continuous tenses, will inevitably improve through repeated practice.

Many students enjoy sharing their own photographic memories as a way to better recall and describe past experiences. Together we can consider both the image in detail, but also the associated memories.

If you have a job where you need to use English, it can be a real advantage to describe industry-specific images. For example I have assisted tour guides, nurses, designers, flight attendants and real estate salespeople and photographic descriptions have been an important part of their learning.

Finally, it is an essential skill for anybody preparing for an exam where photographic descriptions are part of the speaking or writing tests. Lessons with me can significantly improve your scores in these areas because I understand what examiners are looking for and will suggest techniques that will help you to give a better response.

For all of these reasons and more, I am now offering a specific lesson which is targeted at anybody who feels that their English level could be enhanced. Why not give it a try?