Mariam Nersisyan

Hello!

It’s been a while since I last updated my introduction, so here’s the latest version!

I’ve moved back to China and am currently working at Lingnan Normal University, where I teach General English, Culinary English, and IELTS preparation courses for third-year students who will spend their exchange year at a culinary school in Ireland.

I’ve recently graduated from Liverpool John Moores University with an MA in Leadership in Education. In addition, a few months ago, I enrolled in a PGCE(i) course offered by the same university to further develop my teaching skills and enhance my qualifications for working at international schools.

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Over the past eight years, I’ve taught English in Armenia, Italy, and China. I’ve had the privilege of teaching both online and in person, working with groups as well as individual students.

One of the greatest challenges in teaching has always been ensuring that my classes are engaging, interactive, supportive, and of high quality, regardless of the learners’ age or proficiency level. Young learners generally benefit from active participation, games, and role-playing activities, while adult learners often tend to be more reserved and focus more on grammar, textbooks, and literature. As a teacher, however, I always encourage my students to step out of their comfort zones, practise speaking, and express themselves confidently in the target language.

I’m delighted to have taught students from different nationalities and backgrounds, representing almost every corner of the world. Seeing their progress and achievements is one of the most rewarding aspects of my job, and I consider their success my own.

One of my most recent teaching experiences involved a group of 18 Chinese children aged three to four. In less than five months, I helped them learn to recognise sounds and read consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) words and simple sentences.

Online teaching, on the other hand, requires a high level of concentration and commitment from both the teacher and the learner. Achieving learning objectives depends on several factors, including completing homework, showing curiosity about the topics discussed, relating lessons to real-life situations, and being willing to share personal experiences or create stories using the target vocabulary.

Ultimately, my goal is not only to help students acquire the language but also to build their confidence so that they can use it naturally and without fear.