GrindsWorld Tutor: Wieteke Windrich

I am a native Dutch and English speaker with a Bachelor's Degree in German and English Literature and a Masters Degree in Applied Linguistics.
I am currently in my 2nd year of a PhD in Second Language Acquisition at Maynooth University where I teach German students part time.
I lived in Germany for a year and taught English as a foreign language to children aged 2-13 and I provided extra German classes to students in an Irish Secondary School.

I believe in immersive language teaching, where students are instructed primarily through their target language and are supported through their native language if needed. This method takes the students focus away from strenuous grammar exercises and allows them to learn in a more natural environment, just as they learned their first language as young children.

This is not to say that grammar and vocabulary will be ignored in my lessons. It is simply not at the foreground, as students will already be given these exercises in their school classrooms.

I have extensive knowledge of the curriculum and exam boards in Ireland, although I aim to cater my classes on the individual needs of students; not on passing the exam as a whole. Passing the exams are obviously important, but aiding in filling the gaps in a student's language comprehension will lead to a wholistic understanding of the language which will in effect improve their grades significantly.