The wonderful Portuguese adventure! Advantages of learning a new language: Learning a new language is fun. But what I’m (and you should be) after is not bilingualism but instead biculturalism. We think by aid of words. Therefore language shapes thought. In part this is because working in a second language slows down the thinking. No wonder people feel different when speaking a second language. And no wonder they feel looser, more spontaneous, perhaps more assertive or funnier or blunter. Studies show that being able to speak another language is generally linked to a more flexible brain, developing the brain’s ability to plan and prioritize. Also it betters our defenses against dementia in old age. Advantages of learning Portuguese: • 250 million native speakers worldwide • 5th most common language in the world • It has been an official language since 1297 • It’s usage is spread over 4 continents (Europe, South America, Africa, Asia) Now business, The pace, duration, frequency and schedule of the classes is totally up to the student to decide. The best case scenario is 1-2x per week depending on both parties availability. Focus on diverse subjects is possible, for example, grammar, diction, reading comprehension, written production, conversational skills. In case the student has no specific requests, together we will follow the guidelines of a trusted book (that I myself bring to the class and the student doesn’t need to acquire). The classes will rely also on bilingual children’s books and audio media. This double edged approach allows for fun learning ways and cultural assimilation. In every class the student will be directly influenced by worldwide Portuguese culture ( music, history, geography). Periodically we will evaluate how the classes are evolving so as to rapidly and effectively shift focus to where it is needed.

Are you moving to Portugal and want your kid to learn a bit before moving there? Are you Portuguese native speakers who are living abroad and want to understand how your child is developing? Is one of the parents of your child a Portuguese native speaker? Do you want a babysitter who can teach your child a language in the meantime? Is your child transitioning from an international school to one with a Portuguese curriculum? These are only some of the few encounters I’ve had in the past with kids who learned Portuguese language in a fun and engaging way. If your kid talks PT/EN/FR/NL/SP I can speak with them. My strongest suit as a teacher is patience and I can connect to children quite easily (maybe because my mum is a kindergarten teacher). I know how hard it is to hold a kid’s attention for long stretches of time. Thus I try to turn the classroom into a playground and make it as interactive as possible. The focus will be to learn vocabulary as opposed to writing complex sentences, depending on your child’s proficiency of the language. My method is super flexible and I adjust it to every student. I usually share my screen and make use of audiovisual material such as books, songs, videos and games. The latter seems to have the most success so far as we cheerfully shout Portuguese vocabulary such as animals, numbers, letters, colors etc.

De echte Portugese ervaring! Advantages of learning a new language: Learning a new language is fun. But what I’m (and you should be) after is not bilingualism but instead biculturalism. We think by aid of words. Therefore language shapes thought. In part this is because working in a second language slows down the thinking. No wonder people feel different when speaking a second language. And no wonder they feel looser, more spontaneous, perhaps more assertive or funnier or blunter. Studies show that being able to speak another language is generally linked to a more flexible brain, developing the brain’s ability to plan and prioritize. Also it betters our defenses against dementia in old age. Advantages of learning Portuguese: • 250 million native speakers worldwide • 5th most common language in the world • It has been an official language since 1297 • It’s usage is spread over 4 continents (Europe, South America, Africa, Asia) Now business, For the past 2 years I've had more than 10 students and based on experience I recommend the following lesson duration (minutes): Age gap 0-6 | 7-12 | 13-17 | 18-45 | 45-64 | 65+ Duration 60 | 60-90 | 90-120 | 120 | 90-120 | 60-90 Longer classes are possible and the student has always the final decision. Yet I recognise that after the aforementioned durations, students get tired or out of focus and the productivity decreases. Focus on diverse subjects is possible, for example, grammar, diction, reading comprehension, written production, conversational skills. Because the goal of most students is the ability to communicate, I’ve been developing my classes that way. I have acquired extra audio media specially for you :) to hear Portuguese being spoken at a different pace, accent and voice tone. My method is based on a book (that I myself bring to the class and the student doesn’t need to acquire) which I'm fairly familiar by now. But what I really like is to talk to the student. So the book will be used to present the gramatical structure of the language while also serving as an inspiration platform for conversation topics. Periodically we will evaluate how the classes are evolving so as to rapidly and effectively shift focus to where it is needed.