British Australian | BA, MA TESOL, CELTA | Tokyo, Japan | Adults
ABOUT ME:
Hello! My name is Fiona and I live in Tokyo, Japan with my husband, two year old daughter and our miniature dachshund. I was born in Bedford, England and have also lived in Perth, Australia and Kurashiki, Japan. Together with my daughter, we enjoy long neighbourhood walks, time at the park, reading, water play, and singing and dancing to music. We love Winnie the Pooh - my daughter’s favourite character is Tigger! In my (limited!) free time, I enjoy learning about infant nutrition and toddler language development, watching Netflix (I love The Good Place and Modern Family), swimming, and playing a bit of Mario Kart. I’m hoping to set some time aside to study for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (N2).
Illustration: Return to the Hundred Acre Wood. Images by Mark Burgess/Egmont Publishing.
MY TEACHING EXPERIENCE:
I taught English at a Japanese senior high school for two years before leaving to start postgraduate studies and get married! In 2016, I visited Cambridge, England and completed an intensive month-long CELTA (an initial teacher training qualification). I really enjoyed working with students and other teachers of all ages and nationalities during this time. Last year I completed my Master’s degree in Arts (TESOL), submitting my thesis just four days before my daughter was born! During my studies, I taught lessons here on Cafetalk, as well as at an international school working with young learners. I’m also a speaking examiner, and have travelled from Fukuoka to Shizuoka, Japan conducting hundreds of speaking exams.
Illustration: Return to the Hundred Acre Wood. Images by Mark Burgess/Egmont Publishing.
MY TEACHING STYLE:
I specialise in teaching adults and young adults communicative English. Lessons take all kinds of shape - from free conversations about our favourite things at the moment to deeper discussions of current affairs, practice with particular grammar structures and assistance with preparing for exams or presentations. My lesson goals include decreasing my talking time and increasing yours, recognising individual student needs, and getting to know you better each lesson. While I can understand some Japanese, let’s try and use only English in our lessons to really improve your listening and speaking skills!
MY LESSON GUIDE:
It can be difficult to know where to start with Cafetalk lessons. Use the following guide to help get you started, or consult with me in a Trial Lesson.
Q. 피오나 강사님, 안녕하세요? 카페토크 커뮤니티에 자기소개 부탁드립니다. A. 안녕하세요? 제 이름은 피오나에요. 저는 24살 영국-호주계인이고 현재 일본에서 살고있습니다. 저는 지난 몇 년간 영어를 가르쳤고 영어를 가르치는 일에 제 열정이 생기기 시작했어요. 저는 전세계를 여행하며 다양한 사람을 만나는 것을 좋아합니다. Q. 강사님은 영국에서 태어난...
My son has been taking lessons with Fiona for nearly 6years now (there was a break when she was on her maternity leave). Over the years, she has always provided lessons that would fit his level at each stage in his English learning process. Not only is she a skilled teacher, but she just brings a fun vibe to her lessons! I always hear my son laughing during the lessons, which tells me he is enjoying the lessons and getting absorbed in the English language.
先生の育休期間を除けば、フィオナ先生に息子は6年近く見ていただいています。彼の英語レベルに応じたレッスンを常に提供してくださってきました。しかし、これだけ長く続けてこれたのは、フィオナ先生が有能な先生であるということに加え、彼女が非常に話しやすい楽しい雰囲気をレッスン中作ってくださるからだと思います。レッスン中は息子の笑い声がしばしば聞こえてきて、彼が英語学習を楽しんでいて、英語環境に集中していることが感じられます。
Fiona is a competent teacher as well as an amiable person to people of all ages. She is passionate about teaching and has generously offered us with many tips on how to improve English. We are so happy to have her back on Cafetalk after her maternity leave, and we look forward to working with her more this year!
フィオナ先生は有能な先生であると同時にどんな年齢の人にも優しく接してくださる方です。教えることに対して情熱をもち、これまでに学習をサポートしてくださるのに快くたくさんの情報を私たちに提供してくださいました。育児休暇から復活してくださってとても嬉しいです!たくさんレッスンを受講したいと思っています!
As a self employed EFL teacher working mostly alone, I rarely have the chance to speak to and share ideas with fellow teachers. I was fortunate to find Fiona online, and her Teacher’s Discussion Corner is a wonderful and convenient place to discuss/ share issues and ideas about teaching English. Fiona is a friendly, competent teacher with many ideas and tricks to get students interested and involved in English learning. I highly recommend other English teachers to go online and chat with her about teaching!
Hello Fiona,
I voted your Accuracy lesson.
This lesson is so helpful for me, not only in the lesson but also the feedback.
I want to keep this lesson next year.
Thank you very much, Fiona.
See you soon.
Yuta
I've never seen such a super woman, Fiona. Is she a robot with AI? haha Honestly, she is so cute and 楽しいんだよね。 So, I'm looking forward to studying with you next year.
***ru