Evan-TS#1 (Aziz)

     My first meeting with Aziz was interesting. It being my first explicit attempt at tutoring a foreign language leaner, I was anxious. However, I was lucky in that Aziz was quite able to both understand my English, and reply in turn. As a result, beginning the needs assessment proved rather easy. He quickly honed in on a desire to improve his speaking and listening, as he wanted to improve his ability to participate in the classroom. Pursuing his master's degree in Sports management (I cannot recall his exact major at this moment, this is my best approximation), his aimed to use English mostly in the classroom. After completing the needs assessment, I asked if he had some burning English questions. This is due to two primary reasons. For one, unaware of his needs I neglected to procure any material for the session. As for the other, I figured that he did have some questions he wanted an answer to. I think not only should I attempt to bring lessons to the sessions, but also provide support for specific questions the tutee has. (Tutee is marked as incorrect spelling). Without hesitation he began to ask about "phrasal verbs", something I had never heard of before. I think much of my experience with teaching English will be a simultaneous relearning of my native language. Again luck took my side. Phrasal verbs are very common verb phrases (go figure) that are used in idiomatic ways. For example, "come up", "brush up", or "figure out". While most native speakers can instantly recognize the intended meaning, for a learner these phrases can seem deceptive and strange as the verbs operate in a similar yet completely new fashion. In that regard, these verbs, though recognizable, are used in different and varying contexts, typically with a completely different definition as part of the phrasal verb. Often in describing a phrase to him, I found myself using a different verb entirely. To brush up is to review. Aziz proved quite the determined learner, and I began to find some patterns. This meeting signified my first encounter with a minimal pair, as he would struggle in pronouncing the B sound in "brush", sounding much more like "prush". I modeled the difference between the B and P sounds, and he definitely was aware of his mistake, though he still struggled, which is completely understandable. Nonetheless, he self monitored rather well, fixing and attempting to enunciate the B sound clearly. Our meeting was concluded abruptly shortly afterwards, as his wife called with him leaving to take the call.

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