Mia has been teaching English for 8 years. With a background in Educational Psychology and working experience in HR in Schlumberger, she is able to enrich her teaching methods to suit the corporate classes. Her previous clients in English Today include Sushi Tei, Berita Satu TV channel, OTO Summitmas Finance, and Thiess.

Education Overview

  • Bachelor of Psychology in Tarumanagara University, Jakarta
  • Bachelor of Psychology in Universite de Savoie, France
  • Master of Psychology in Universite de Rennes, France

Key Skills

  • English for the Fashion Industry
  • Business English Training
  • Teacher Training
  • Essay Writing

Insights – with Mia

What kind of teaching technique do you think the most effective way to motivate students skill in speaking?

From my experience, the biggest problem that students have in regards to speaking is lack of confidence. Most of them admit that they are afraid to say something wrong and be ridiculed. So what I emphasize in conducting speaking exercises is building their courage. I would repeatedly stress that the importance is to try; never mind about saying things correctly or not. I usually remind them that it’s perfectly alright to make mistakes; it’s how we actually learn. It’s crucial that firstly they feel comfortable in speaking. Only then can we incorporate grammar points and other related skills.

What are the obstacles that you often face while you are teaching English?

When working with an English class, students usually have different capacities and different goals. It’s always a challenge to find the right balance that applies to all, to ensure that no student is left behind, and that all of their learning needs are met.

What do you like about your students?

The fact that my students are so diverse and come from a variety of backgrounds is always fascinating. I have taught many kinds of companies and met all sorts of professionals. I enjoy getting to hear their experiences, life stories, and sometimes they give me useful tips on a lot
of topics.

What do you do to stimulate students creativity while they’re having an English class?

I find that role-plays are a good technique to use for learning a language. In addition, they provide a platform to foster creativity. I normally give students a topic or a context, and give them full freedom to improvise the dialogues. It’s interesting to see how their creativity enriches role-play; they would imagine additional scenes and possible plots that were otherwise not thought of and afterwards, the class is usually in a better mood.