From United StatesLiving in Lyon, France (18:44 UTC-05:00)
About Me
italki teacher since Dec 17, 2020
Hello! My name is Audrey Calandra and grew up speaking both French and English in Oakland California. I have an undergraduate degree from UCLA in French and Francophone studies and a master's degree from the University of Colorado. I am currently teaching English in Lyon, France while working towards a doctoral degree in French literature from the University of Virginia. I have taught a variety of French language courses at the university level, but I also have some experience teaching younger children.
Me as a Teacher
I have been trained to use a communicative approach but I also have experience teaching grammar, reading and writing. I believe that language learning should be as stress free as possible so that students feel comfortable speaking freely. Contemplation and reflection also play a significant role in my language classroom because I have found that in today’s competitive world, it can be very easy to loose track of the big picture. Active contemplation allows students to have a personal relationship with their own education, and allows them to take more active role.
My lessons & teaching style
I try to cater my lessons to each individual student's learning goals. In the past I have used a flipped classroom model, which focuses more on developing communicative competency rather than focusing on explicit grammar instruction. While my lessons are generally communication based, I am also in favor of Krashen’s theory that pleasure reading is important to second language acquisition as long as the text is comprehensible and that the student has a genuine interest in the text. This can be done even in beginner level classes and I have found that incorporating reading activities into my lessons has been effective for many students.
Audrey is so great! She has a good balance between "let me correct this (pronunciation or word choice)" while not getting bogged down on being absolutely perfect. It means you get a lot of practice and focus in the lessons which I really appreciate. (For beginner-intermediate)
Jan 25, 2021
Savannah B
1 French lesson
Great first lesson with Audrey, she speaks in a way I can understand and does not rush through topics. I appreciate that she breaks subjects down in a sensible manner. Looking forward to more lessons!
Oct 4, 2023
Kevin Salzman
4 French lessons
Awesome lesson (as always)! Merci beaucoup!
Jul 19, 2023
Kevin Salzman
4 French lessons
Merci! I had a lot of fun with this second lesson. Looking forward to the next.
Jul 12, 2023
Mariella D
8 French lessons
Audrey is Awesome, she knows what she is doing, I really enjoy our lessons, she makes it interactive and fun!
Jul 10, 2023
Kevin Salzman
4 French lessons
A fun first lesson, and Audrey is a supportive, energetic, and knowledgeable teacher.