Charles Paxton asserts authorship of this website, CAT, a.k.a. Communications And Tutoring, A Very English Language School and all its programs and procedures. These are copyright The WebCat 2009, all rights reserved, unless expressly stated otherwise by this author.

Structured Conversation Classes

In your first contact email you can let me know what type of structured class interests you. In the free orientation session we will discuss your needs in more detail and your schedule of availability for classes, and I will get a more detailed picture of your current abilities. You can then decide the basis of your studies- a text book, a learner diary, or perhaps another school.

If you prefer a text book-based program ...

I shall then send you an email recommending some possible textbooks with a short list of links for you to see. Take your time to make the selection. Unless you are under time pressure, there is no need to rush. It is often a good policy to check them out in a bookshop if possible. You don't want to get stuck with a book that you don't like.

In classes based upon a text book, the student is expected to purchase a student's book and cassette for their own use in their home country and a teacher's book for the teacher's use that can be ordered online and shipped directly to the teacher, i.e. from amazon.co.uk or ebay.

If you prefer diary-based classes ...

you will need to begin and/or maintain a diary of emailable text. In diary-based classes, the students' real life experiences and thoughts form the 'text' around which the conversation is based. This approach helps develop fluency of expression through free writing, provides you with a grammar-checked copy prior to the class and then allows focused discussion in the class, either on a one-to-one basis or in a small group depending upon your wishes. For privacy's sake, please only include such details in your text that you would feel comfortable discussing with your teacher (and classmates if you are enrolling in a small group).