Laura (蘿拉)

As you might imagine, growing up in a small town in America is a very different experience than living in Hong Kong! Things move more slowly. We spend more time outside. We have a much more chill approach to education. 

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The style is a bit different in Hong Kong. There are advantages to the hardworking Hong Kong learning style. But while some people like memorizing vocabulary lists and studying for tests, most adult learners are no longer worried about passing an exam. They just want to be able to communicate in the real world. They want to understand the jokes in English movies. They want to make a good impression on their mother-in-law. They want to comfortably make small talk with a foreign client. 

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The learning you do should support your real-world goals! I believe lots of interaction, practice, materials based on real-world content, and a variety of learning methods are vital to your success. It is also important to take your personality and interests into account when making a learning plan. 

 

In the decade that I've lived in Hong Kong, my learning philosophy has evolved. As a teacher, I have developed different ways to teach and bring creativity into lessons. As a casual language student (I've been studying Cantonese for almost ten years), I understand the struggles that adult students face and how to overcome them. I also see many common mistakes that Hong Kongers make in English which can lead to communication breakdowns. I bring my more chill, Canyon City background and combine it with what I have learned in Hong Kong to come up with my own teaching style. 

 

I believe learning a language should be like an adventure, a trek through a canyon. Everyone starts at a different place and goes at a different pace, but the important thing is to get outside, get moving, and enjoy the journey. Get out of the textbook and into the wild!