Luke Norton is an energetic and dedicated young teacher with years of international teaching experience. Always interested in education, he has made consistent effort throughout his life to become a more effective and engaging teacher through both personal study and hands-on experience. His passion for language and study grew and evolved at the University of Guelph, where he was trained formally in English Literature. He also received his TESL / TEFL certification shortly after completing his degree, in anticipation of an international teaching career.
In early 2008 he headed overseas to Korea, where he fell in love with the culture, the people and the language. He completed a full year's contract of teaching - including lesson planning, classroom management, and resource creation - before returning to Canada to further augment his own education. He returned to Korea the following year to work for an even more language-directed school, one which focused heavily on both pronunciation and conversation techniques. His time in Korea has given him the confidence, skill and knowledge necessary to impart English to aspiring intermediate and advanced students looking for increased technique, vocabulary and eventual fluency.
Luke's teaching technique focuses on a combination of three specific areas: First, vocabulary expansion. With a limited vocabulary, students are unable to express themselves effectively, and the research and use of idioms, phrasal verbs, and common slang are all key to more natural sounding speech. Second, focused learning. Specific areas will always need work, but these areas change depending on student's specific needs. Luke is always prepared to focus on these learning difficulties and target them as the situation arises to correct problems with both pronunciation and grammar. Finally, a relaxed classroom environment. Enjoying what one is doing is an often overlooked, but crucial part of learning. Without a comfortable environment, students will not be able to fully explore their abilities and push the limits of their speaking skills. A happy and relaxed student is a successful one!
