Our vision, our mission

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My background

I am Italian and grew up in Sicily, where I studied Modern Foreign Languages in the beautiful city of Catania. On the cusp of the New Millennium my life journey took me to the UK, where I completed my language degree at the University of Exeter — a BA (Hons) in English with French — and qualified as a language teacher (I hold a PGCE and Qualified Teacher Status – QTS). I later added the Cambridge CELTA and a specialist SEN qualification. I taught in secondary schools and also started running Italian language courses for adults and families.
 
Over more than 20 years I have taught Italian in every setting: adult education with Bristol Adult Learning (since 2007), business Italian for engineers at Rolls-Royce, and Italian on the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme at an independent school in Bristol. Alongside Italian I speak English, Spanish, French and Portuguese, and I provide tailor-made sessions both online and in person.

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Attention to detail

I can adapt my teaching to many levels from complete beginners to advanced conversation.
I always conduct a thorough students’ analysis and bear in mind the wider context which best suits the student.

For example, you might wish to prepare for holidays and travel, you might have an Italian family members or friends you want to get to know better, you might need to speak Italian for your business or work or you might want to learn Italian in order to enhance your own studies of Italian art, music or food. 

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Why learn a language

It’s never too early and never too late …

  • It’s an excellent brain gym! It has been proven to help keep the brain cells active!
  • A brilliant way to connect with people and socialise
  • Handle practical situations on holiday and solve issues abroad.
  • A great way to understand a new culture and make the most of your holiday experience.
  • When speaking the local lingo, people will often go the extra mile to accommodate your needs and to give you an especially warm welcome!

My educational approach


I strongly believe in learning through fun and routine commitment and by embracing the language. Learn a few words every week in order to grow some muscles! Gradually learn a few grammar patterns. They will form your back bone to support your body of words. You will gradually begin to create your phrases and your paragraphs out of the many expressions that you will have learnt.


Tips: Write a daily phrase or diary, listen to Italian slow news, read a book, even if just a few pages every day – This will help you bond with the language by way of repetition and consistency. You also have to add a sprinkle of love!


Tailored lessons: find out why you want to learn Italian, what you would like to achieve specifically and I will design a learning programme which is customised for yourself!

This takes into consideration not only the type of language context you want to learn, for example, buying food at the market, but also, the way you learn. Each one of us learns in different ways, depending on how our brain is built. For instance, you might learn by writing things down and reorganising your notes or creating mind maps. Or perhaps you prefer listening to language chunks, breaking it down and repeating. It might be that you are a visual learner, in which case, it will be very helpful to learn by making use of interactive online activities and games.

4 broad learning styles & learning techniques:

The way you learn will be incorporated into the planning and delivery of your individual lessons, with essential tips to help you progress and guide you through your learning process.

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