Russell
Hello!
My name is Russell Hagen. I have over 23 years of experience in teaching English. Here in Ecuador, I have raised my two grown daughters and enjoy the beautiful environment. In both public and private institutions, I have instructed a variety of professionals, children, adults, and students to develop speaking, writing, reading and listening skills. Furthermore, I have given personalized and group English courses to first language Spanish, Chinese and Korean students at all levels. For over 3 years I have received training and been teaching one on one online ESL classes to children from ages 4 to 15. In addition, I have prepared local teachers and students for TOEFL exam preparation. As a second language Spanish speaker, I can understand the challenges and difficulties an EFL/ESL student needs to overcome. To help students advance in communication skills I give needed correction in pronunciation and grammar. At the same time I make a concerted effort to keep my teacher talking-time at a minimum so as to motivate students and keep their interaction high. I am willing to be adaptable and flexible with a student’s style of learning and at the same time patiently explain to them grammar structure, new expressions/vocabulary and phonics.
I am excited at helping students gain true ownership of English, break away from textbook English and especially use it outside of a classroom setting. I use my abilities and experience in an online forum so that students will further their university studies and become marketable in the workplace. In my teaching I can easily use images to teach concepts and to impress understand because I love drawing, especially cartoons and designing. I am also a self-taught photographer and my specialty is flowers and natural scenic wonders. I also love hiking in the woods and biking with my two daughters in the beautiful countryside of Ecuador where we live. Something I often have in common with my students is my interest in collecting gemstones and fascinating rocks from around the world.
About
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My focus in teaching English has always been in helping students develop real communication, listening skills and use of reading strategies. I accomplish this with children by using puppets, TPR, and instructive props related to the topic. I am really excited to see a student use proper sentence structure and fluency by conversing about daily activities, employing role-play and dialogs, scaffolding, and especially visuals such as images and drawing together since I am also a cartoon artist. My success in making friends with students, limiting my teacher talking time, and having a fun experience together convinces me that I can help you or your child to master and gain true ownership of English by way of an online course.