John Kenmuir

I'm a Canadian male & I practice Tai Chi. I love outdoor activities (walking, riding bicycles & motorbikes, etc). When I was younger, I lived in a Canadian resort town for 2 years and spent that time downhill skiing. I'm an avid traveler and have taught English in China, South Korea and Saudi Arabia; I've traveled to a dozen more countries and would still like to see more of Central/South America, Europe and Africa. How about you, do you like to travel? When I'm not working or traveling, I like to cook at home. Dining out is expensive, so I've taught myself how to prepare fancy dishes such as nasi goreng, chili, and beef & broccoli. My mother taught me the basics and I've improved my skills since then. How about you, what's your favourite food? I have a degree in English literature because I love to read; I love movies as well, so we could talk about these subjects, music or something else. Call me to book a class here, or on Skype or Zoom. About my skills and experience: * I'm CELTA certified and I have a Bachelors degree in English Literature. * I began teaching in 1995; before that I was a volunteer tutor for several years. * I have taught overseas in South Korea (3 years), China (12 years) & Saudi Arabia (1 year). * Since 2005 I have specialized in teaching academic English (EAP) to college & university students. * I worked as an IELTS speaking examiner from 2003 to 2009. I've taught IELTS speaking classes & done mock speaking exams online (including a suggested band score & feedback on performance). * I began teaching online in 2017. * I've developed and taught courses in intercultural communication, western culture & culture shock, also courses on literature & cinema. * When I'm not teaching, I work as a professional freelance writer & I'm a published author/writer/poet. My teaching style: How I teach each class depends on the student's goals. I can teach speaking & pronunciation, vocabulary & idioms; I sometimes teach grammar. If there's something specific you'd like to study, let me know & we can talk about how I can help you. My lessons are usually informal, unless a student asks me to teach intensive English classes (which I have done). I generally limit my speaking to asking leading questions, to support & encourage my students speaking efforts; if our conversations are topic based (for example, movies), I may talk slightly more to share information, but my primary goal is to get you talking & provide feedback on your successes and your weaknesses. I like teaching tongue twisters, because they're fun for both of us & good for improving pronunciation. I don't teach writing skills, though, just speaking. If you'd like to work on improving your reading & listening skills, we could do that as well (many students struggle with listening).