14 days ago
My experience learning English at Lingua Franca was in groups with Matt as a teacher. It was an excellent experience. Matt suggested interesting themes to discuss and he ensured that every student had an opportunity to talk and explain their opinions. We were also free to suggest our own themes to discuss, and we mostly spoke about what is interesting and important to us. The atmosphere in our groups was very friendly, and I wasn't shy to talk (although usually, it is very difficult for me). Matt was using our conversations to explain English grammar in examples. He is able to explain how English grammar works, and he provided a lot of illustrative examples to show differences in meanings. Also, he describes the differences between formal and informal, UK and US languages. He was answering very difficult questions about language, and this helped us to remember and understand grammar constructions. Also, I liked that Matt mentioned the cultural aspects of language. A lot of things and processes in the USA are different from ours, for example, the education system, health insurance, and so on, and all those have an impact on language and the meanings of words, so knowing this helps not only to better remember and use English but also to give an understanding of different cultures. After that, films about American life are more interesting to watch and the character motivation becomes clearer. I strongly recommend Lingua Franca if you want to learn and understand English-speaking people at a higher level.
