Teacher Alex Usami's Page

Role-play is a very effective way of preparing for real life situations. Do you want to have more conversation with the cashiers at the grocery store? Are you planning a trip and worried about what to do at the airport? Do you want to meet some new friends, but are unsure of how to approach them? These are things that role-playing can help with. I can teach you the methods and vocabulary to make your way through these situations and then we can practice them with role-play.

In teaching children and adults, I’ve found that games are one of the most effective ways for a lesson to stick with people. I love to incorporate games whenever possible, like bingo reviews and card games using flashcards for children. Sometimes, I’ve even been known to use storytelling games for adults that spark their creativity.

In my time at my previous school, I taught TOEIC 400 and 600 courses that specialized in test taking techniques. When I was younger, we often took similar standardized tests in school, so I like to focus on teaching the skills and techniques that help native speakers pass these kinds of tests. Of course, we’ll learn vocabulary and grammar along the way, but it’s important to know how to problem solve when you might not be able to find the answer through traditional means.

I absolutely love to teach through news articles. We can read it together in class or you can send them to me before. After reading, we’ll discuss the topic, answer any questions and learn how to express our opinions about it. News articles, or really any sort of reading, can also help us learn context, which I find to be a very important part of learning English.

I love to focus on broad topics and really explore them through a discussion lesson. When you focus on one topic, it really helps bring out specific and more advanced vocabulary that students didn’t know before. It can also help to naturally build fluency skills as students having a discussion topic provides them with a clearer goal.

At my previous school, students had the option of taking a book lesson or learning through free conversation. Free conversation was a very popular choice and it’s one of my favorites. It allows high level students to engage on more advanced topics and lower level students to learn how to ask about specific things. For those who struggle with free conversation, I’m always happy to initiate questions to get you talking. We can also use various tools like hand motions and drawings to help communicate the meaning of unknown words or phrases.