Alessandro Fantauzzi

What are my credentials?

I am a C2 English user, certified through the prestigious CPE (Certificate of Proficiency in English), the top-tier certification offered by Cambridge University, which I passed at grade A. In addition, I have several years of teaching behind me, helping many students out with their English, especially with their speaking, whether it was for an English exam, for an application to an oversea university or for other reasons. I have also helped several professionals and applicants to make it in their profession or to land a job.
Furthermore, I am a law student at the Catholic University of Sacred Heart in the process of graduation with a thesis, in English, about comparative criminal law. My graduation score is 111/110.

What is my specialty?

My specialization is speaking, namely aiding the enhancement of conversational skills. I am particularly good at increasing one’s proficiency and performance in an academic context (i.e.: I can help you raise your grades) or in your profession; in addition, I can prepare you for the IELTS, TOEFL or any Cambridge examination, enabling you to get through the most feared part of said exams.

What do my lessons look like?

First things first: during my lessons, I WILL BE SPEAKING ENGLISH ONLY, including when teaching grammar. I may use Italian as an extrema ratio, that is to say: as a last resort.

Secondarily, every lesson of mine starts off with 15 minutes of general conversation practice. Usually, I let the conversation flow set the topic for us, however, every subject is on the table! Potential topics range from law, politics and economics to music, arts, and fashion, turning on your preferences or needs.

Once we have finished with our conversation time, the lesson will go on to centre around one of the following macro areas:

a) GRAMMAR: this type of lesson focusses on specific grammar subjects, such as future tenses, conditionals etc. Grammar lessons are usually two-folded: first, we will be addressing the theory, aided by my digital blackboard and by the leading grammar textbook “English Grammar in Use”, Basic, Intermediate or Advanced, as the case may be. Then we will put our knowledge into practice with some exercises, taken from the same textbooks or others.

b) VOCABULARY: we will be practicing vary vocabulary areas through dedicated exercises taken from the textbooks in my possession. We may also engage in some diversified activities, such as commenting on pictures or simulating some real-life contexts.

c) READING: reading is the key to improving our language skills! We will be dedicating several lessons to this pivotal activity. The texts will be picked from a vast array of resources, ranging from my many student’s books and workbooks to online newspapers. As a law student dabbling in the English Law, I can share excerpts from my law textbooks with you. During reading lessons, I will be reading first, then you will read after me, trying to pick up the pronunciation. Finally, comprehension tasks (such as multiple-choice questions) will follow.

d) LISTENING: although less frequent than the other types, we will do some listening as well. Again, we will be tapping into a multitude of resources, especially online podcasts and videos.

Will there be any room for flexibility?

Of course there will!
The scheme outlined above serves as a template, a model, from which to depart if it need be. And usually I do depart from it: some students of mine are on their IELTS or Cambridge and I have to tailor their lessons accordingly; others are professionals who want to get more fluent, therefore we are focussing on conversation and out-loud reading. Flexibility is a valuable principle, but to get flexible, you need something to work on, otherwise flexibility tends to be a shorthand for being completely clueless!

What are my materials and tools?

In the course of our lessons, I will make use of a vast array of materials and tools: visual and audio resources such as YouTube videos and podcasts; newspaper articles (mostly the BBC and The Guardian); a physical magnetic blackboard and a digital one (OpenBoard); several written sources such as grammar textbooks, student’s books and workbooks and several Word files.
I am equipped with state-of-the-art grammar and vocabulary materials, which I render available for free to my students. My books include: “English Grammar in Use” (Basic, Intermediate and Advanced); FCE and CAE preparation textbooks (McMillan and Cambridge); Proficiency student’s book and workbook. This means you WON’T HAVE TO BUY ANYTHING.

What platforms do I use for online lessons?

Generally, I go for Skype, Zoom or ClassGap, but I am open to alternatives.

Do I offer a free trial lesson?

I offer a 20-minute trial lesson but online only.