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Welcome to My Thoughtful English!
The purpose of this site is to help you improve your English. It is designed for those who are looking to reach a C1 (IELTS 7) level. It will help you to develop your knowledge, and through that knowledge show you how to use the grammar and vocabulary necessary to reach those scores. |
Habits and Transformation
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Here are two stories about students who had great success.
One student used to struggle with basic conversation. She changed her habits and made English a part of her daily life: listening to news radio and watching engaging television on Netflix. Not only was her English better, but she had more to say! She had more ideas to express and opinions to convey! Another student became a daily reader of books and then moved on to newspapers. Within 2 months, he improved his IELTS writing score, going from a 4 to a 6! He had only 16 hours of English classes in that time, but because he read every day, he improved. English is not something you learn; it is something you live. |
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"Teacher, I don't have any ideas!"
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At the school where I work, we've designed every class to build towards our students being able to extend their ideas by building their knowledge, and helping them to explore new ideas so.
The more you learn about important issues, the more you will be able to speak in your first and second language. The more you learn about important issues, the more you will be able to use complex grammar and new vocabulary. Please do not try to memorise the language. Use it. Talk about important topics. After that, it's easy. |
First Steps
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Start Reading
This is the first step to improve reading. My students who read, or who become readers, improve quickly. I've seen many English learners make incredible progress in as little as 3 weeks just by starting to read more. Reading is the exercise for your brain that will: 1. improve knowledge, vocabulary and grammar 2. make guessing new words easy 3. improve accuracy in writing and speaking |
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Start Listening
Don't listen for words; listen for ideas. If you miss something, keep going. Focus on the problem being discussed, and the solutions. Focus on the causes of the problem, and the effects. Then focus on the effects of the solutions. If you miss a few words or ideas, just wait for the next one. You can check the new vocabulary after. |
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Start Speaking
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Start Writing
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Welcome to My Thoughtful English
Welcome to my site!
My name is Mark and I've been teaching English for 10 years! I've taught it all: IELTS, Academic Preparation, Business, and General English.
I believe that really learning a language comes from living the language: learning the culture, reading, growing your knowledge about the world.
I believe that a class is useful when you have a teacher that you like and respect.
I believe that grammar is important, but that expressing your ideas must be the priority.
I believe these things because I am a teacher, but also a learner.
As a high school student, I learned French. I spent summers in Quebec, and read books in French. There were no online resources to do so at that time.
In university, I learned German. I lived in Germany. There were still no internet resources at the time. I read books, newspapers, and did my best to meet people.
After university, I lived in Korea and learned Korean. I read books, newspapers. I watched a lot of movies. I had conversation partners.
And today, despite my busy schedule, I'm keeping my 3 languages, while trying to learn a 4th and 5th: Swedish and Russian.
I've helped hundreds of students get the IELTS Band Score 7. I believe that when you get that score (Band 7, or C1) that you change as a person. Something happens to you. I want you to experience that.
Here in Melbourne, Australia, I watch with satisfaction as my students get that score. But what I love more, is when I see them grow as people. Many get their scores because they become wiser and more complete individuals. They make friends here in Australia. They learn about the local culture and the local people.
Feel free to join the Facebook community: My Thoughtful English
My name is Mark and I've been teaching English for 10 years! I've taught it all: IELTS, Academic Preparation, Business, and General English.
I believe that really learning a language comes from living the language: learning the culture, reading, growing your knowledge about the world.
I believe that a class is useful when you have a teacher that you like and respect.
I believe that grammar is important, but that expressing your ideas must be the priority.
I believe these things because I am a teacher, but also a learner.
As a high school student, I learned French. I spent summers in Quebec, and read books in French. There were no online resources to do so at that time.
In university, I learned German. I lived in Germany. There were still no internet resources at the time. I read books, newspapers, and did my best to meet people.
After university, I lived in Korea and learned Korean. I read books, newspapers. I watched a lot of movies. I had conversation partners.
And today, despite my busy schedule, I'm keeping my 3 languages, while trying to learn a 4th and 5th: Swedish and Russian.
I've helped hundreds of students get the IELTS Band Score 7. I believe that when you get that score (Band 7, or C1) that you change as a person. Something happens to you. I want you to experience that.
Here in Melbourne, Australia, I watch with satisfaction as my students get that score. But what I love more, is when I see them grow as people. Many get their scores because they become wiser and more complete individuals. They make friends here in Australia. They learn about the local culture and the local people.
Feel free to join the Facebook community: My Thoughtful English