Learning English in a 1:1 book club course
Since I have been offering a 1:1 book club course I have been pleasantly busy with the number of people who have requested a course with me. People have a variety of different reasons for taking an individual book club course, and it's also interesting what books they want to read 1:1 in English.
Some people have a specific reason. I have had two people recently who are each taking an MA course in comparative literature, and want support in exploring particular authors and books. In one course we looked at a range of short stories from the turn of the 20th Century - for instance Edith Wharton and Henry James amongst others. In the other we looked at post-colonial literature including Jane Austen's Mansfield Park which references slavery, and Zadie Smith's White Teeth which describes in a humorous way the experience of first and second generation immigrants in London.
Others would like a book club course in a group but the times and days don't suit, or the current books are not quite what they want. The flexibility of a one to one English book club course is great for finding a weekly time which is convenient. There are a lot of hours between morning and late afternoon when I am available; from the late afternoon I am usually busy leading the groups, and so not free. Recently I have led courses using the following: Sally Rooney's Beautiful World, Where Are You; Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451; Ian McEwan's The Children Act; Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go. Richard Osman's "The Thursday Murder Club" series is also popular.
I've been asked to help in the schooling of a UK based girl who is interested in literature. It has been great to help young people develop a love for classic literature - in this case first with Jane Eyre, and then with Wuthering Heights. Those Brontë sisters sure were great writers!
I've also done some work with teachers. I helped an Italian teacher to prepare for a spoken teacher training exam in English, as they transitioned from primary to secondary teaching. I also led a course on George Orwell's 1984 for a teacher who wanted to prepare for teaching this to her own students.
If you are interested, do have a look at the books on my list that are available as 1:1 book club courses: https://www.bookclubschool.com/collections/individual-lessons/products/individual-book-club-in-english It's really enjoyable helping someone to talk in English with more fluency and accuracy, about a book we both enjoy!
Geoff