Czech for foreigners
I teach Czech online, my students are teenagers and adults up to C2 level. I offer one-to-one lessons, one-to-two lessons and group lessons usually up to 6 students.
I fully tailor my lessons to each student.
Do you want to practice conversation?
Don't want textbooks because you find them boring and not authentic enough?
Do you want to get clear on grammar?
Do you want to use textbooks because they provide you with solid support and reassurance?
Do you want to incorporate authentic materials for native speakers?
No problem!
You tell me everything during the initial consultation, fill in the initial questionnaire and I will come up with a programme just for you! And don't worry, you don't have to be a computer expert, you can do it with very basic user skills, the “techie” is me. But you can replace me if you feel like it!
Now you may be wondering why I still teach online after the pandemic. The explanation is simple - online teaching is simply wonderful. You'll see!
Does it sound like something you are looking for right now? Great! Feel free to leave me a message!
Why is online learning awesome?
it saves time
you don't have to drive anywhere to meet me, calculate how long it will take to get there and back (and at what time roughly you will start making dinner and when it will probably be ready), wonder where you will park your car in Prague, stress about whether you have brought everything you need with you...
introverts don't have to worry about "having to" ask me for water if they are thirsty or ask me where my toilet is
it offers a number of perfect tools to help students learn effectively, authentically and also in a fun way (you'll find out more below), plus we can connect basically wherever we currently are
I've already had calls with my students from Italy, Hungary, and the United States! Make yourself comfortable at home / in your office / in a hotel /, open your laptop and there I am, with all the materials we'll need for our lesson.
Another big advantage is that the camera usually shows me just your face and shoulders. By the way, did you know that you can blur/completely cover the background? :) You can put on your pyjamas, sit in a not perfectly cleaned room and have a lesson with me. I won't find out!
Let’s see how it works.
1) What will you need for online lessons with Kristýna?
Three important things - a computer, a good internet connection and a Google account. I also recommend a headset with a microphone and somewhere quiet for better experience (and privacy).
2) Where can we meet on the internet?
I primarily teach via Skype and Google Meet, my second home. If these platforms don't suit you (for example, if you connect from your office and your boss has different requirements in this regard, we can try to find an alternative solution – we can work this out). So that Skype or Meet could become your second home too, I will be happy to send you a video tutorial showing you step by step how to use these platforms.
3) Will we have a whiteboard?
Yes! An improved one. What I used to write with a marker on a whiteboard during my face-to-face lessons, I now write on a keyboard in a Google document that you will have continuous access to. Why do I call it an improved whiteboard? You don't have to copy anything from it if you don't want to, because you can always find it on your phone or computer. And if you do want to take something from the whiteboard, you can simply highlight it with your mouse and copy it. And you don't have to ask the teacher to decipher anything (which in my case is a big advantage, the interpreter's note-taking took a toll on my writing :)). At the beginning of each lesson, we both open the board and as time goes by, everything we need will appear there - including positive feedback!
4) Where are all the materials?
Worksheets, links to articles and audio, exercises, homework... all of this plus our whiteboard can be found in Google Classroom. If you're not sure what exactly it is right now, don't worry. It is basically a digital binder where you can find everything we look at in our lessons – you can peek into one of my Classrooms right here! If we agree to work together, I will happily provide you with a video tutorial showing you how Classroom works! I also create tailored Google Drive folders for my students, where they can find, among other things, the grammar and vocabulary they just discussed.
5) Aren’t online lessons boring?
No, if one knows what to do! During my lessons, you will try different activities that make your time together as effective as possible. Again, everything is tailor-made - I won't push you into anything!
Did you know that during online lessons we can play bingo, story cubes and even draw? I often share the screen with my students. Just make yourself comfortable and focus on Czech. Working with pictures in a thousand ways, online exercises (Quizlet, Wordwall...), browsing a map, "shopping" on Czech e-shops, "booking" a hotel in Český Krumlov...there are hundreds of possibilities.
