Name: TOEFL Independent Writing Tips
Uploaded: 2023-02-22T16:42:03.000Z
Duration: 11 min 19 s
Description: I go over the best strategies for improving your TOEFL independent writing! These tips are helpful for any academic English essay writing.

I go over the best strategies for improving your TOEFL independent writing!  These tips are helpful for any academic English essay writing.

English (ESL)

Hello!

My name is Alex, and I'm a young English teacher who lives in Seattle, Washington.  

I grew up in Michigan, where I studied teaching English as a second language, taught free classes in my community, and studied Spanish.  I spent time abroad, which was unfortunately cut short by the start of the pandemic.  After I earned my TESOL degree, my partner and I moved to Seattle for work.  I'm currently an administrator at an English international school, where I also facilitate activities and occasional instruction.  I miss teaching in my community, so I'm spending some time online to teach and meet wonderful new students!  

If you're looking for conversation practice, I love to talk about current events, popular media, music, video games/board games/ttrpgs, art, literature, culture, travel, geography, queer culture/history, and learning anything new together!  If you're looking for more targeted tutoring, I am happy to help you focus on topics such as pronunciation, grammar, test preparation, U.S. Citizenship, and many others!

Feel free to send me a message to ask me any questions :)  I look forward to getting to know you, and helping you use English to express yourself.  Tell me your goals, and I'll help you reach them!

TOEFL Independent Writing Tips

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Beginner

Intermediate

Advanced

Bachelor's of Arts Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages

Spanish

English is a tool.  Some students use their English like a keyboard, and some like a paint brush.  Tell me about your background and future goals, and I'll work hard to personalize the right type of English practice for you, and help you shape your English into what is best for you.  I'm pragmatic, but I'm also fun, so I balance out to be the perfect teacher for timid students.  English is scary!  Practice at home with me where it's safe to make mistakes :)

Exciting and challenging class with Alexander... I love it!

I have learned so much in my classes with Alexander. He paces the class just right so you feel challenged but not overwhelmed. So many other classes you just read from a textbook but in his classes Alexander asks questions and gets the students to respond which is both fun and promotes faster learning. He is patient and eager to help providing feedback. I’m thrilled to have found his class!

Alexander is a great teacher! Kind, dinamic and creative. He shares interesting topics to encourage conversation and provides meaningul feedback. I learned a lot in only one class and I really enjoyed it.

Today was my first class with Alexander and i am so greatful. He used a very natural method and it gave me the opportunity to practice my speaking skills. <3

Alexander is an amazing ESL teacher. His classes are so interesting! I really do recommend he as a teacher.

Listen along to native level real life English!  If you're having trouble, head over to my youtube to enjoy the video with subtitles!  Learn Along ESL

Real Life Conversations at Pike Place Market 

English learners lack access to real life dialogues.  Practice your conversational English by following along to my short interactions with strangers.  In this video, a nice man with a dog stops for a quick chat during the aftermath of a beautiful sunset on Lake Michigan.  For subtitles, visit my YouTube channel, Learn Along ESL.

Real Life English with Stranger on Beach - Small Talk Conversation Example

Dialog talk along - practice conversation about the new Barbie movie.  Send me a message if you've seen it too! :D 

Talk Along 5: The Barbie Movie

Minimal Pairs practice.  I'm experimenting with different types of videos, please send me a message if you have advice or feedback!  xoxo

Pronunciation Practice Sit / Seat

Take just 5 minutes to speak with me! I wrote a short dialogue that I will first pronounce for you, and then we take turns speaking :)

Talk Along English 4: Calling Off Work

If you have trouble defining the different English vowel sounds, try using the Color Vowel Chart to help conceptualize the sounds, and learn to push your mouth shapes in the right direction.  I start by talking about vowels in English, then I introduce the chart and how to read it, and finally I discuss some studying tips.  Try color coding the words that are difficult for you to remember after this video!

Thank you to colorvowel.com

The Easy Way to Remember Pronunciation in English - The Color Vowel Chart

Take just 5 minutes to speak with me!  I wrote a short dialogue that I will first pronounce for you, and then we take turns speaking :)

Talk Along English 3: Baking

Talk Along English 2: Chatting About T.V.

Talk Along English 1: Event Invitation

Students are in need of exposure to native speakers using the language practically!  This video is the first in my new series of dialogues with strangers.  Subtitles are added to the videos to help you follow along.

This is a short video, but I am interested in doing more.  Please send me feedback!  Send me a message with any suggestions for future videos, or other questions

Buying Carrots at the Market - Real Life English

Here's a raw Zoom recording of our Music Appreciation class that is a mix of listening to Marvin Gaye, discussing, and learning the history of Soul music.  This class took place March 9th, 2023.  Thank you to Helder, Paola, Jose, and Omar for being excellent students and agreeing to participate for this vocabulary building video!

Soul - Music Appreciation 

I cover three different ways of asking questions - with your tone, yes or no, and open-ended.  Practice these, and you can keep a conversation going forever!  Part 9 of the Make a Conversation Series

Alexander G.

TOEFL Independent Writing Tips

Alexander's English (ESL) videos

Real Life Conversations at Pike Place Market

Real Life English with Stranger on Beach - Small Talk Conversation Example

Talk Along 5: The Barbie Movie

Pronunciation Practice Sit / Seat

Talk Along English 4: Calling Off Work

The Easy Way to Remember Pronunciation in English - The Color Vowel Chart

Talk Along English 3: Baking

Talk Along English 2: Chatting About T.V.

Talk Along English 1: Event Invitation

Buying Carrots at the Market - Real Life English

Soul - Music Appreciation

Asking Questions - Make a Conversation

Teacher Reviews (5)

Book online lesson

Moon phases in English

Forms of Verb

Common Mistakes in English

British English vs American English

Different ways to say "I'm bored" in English

Tenses

Some Synonyms and Antonyms in English

Some English Slangs

Common idioms and phrases in English

Vehicle Vocabulary

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