Andrew Jason Step

Where do you come from and what can you tell us about yourself?

I was born and raised in Canada, where I completed a double major in Sociology and Psychology degree at McMaster University. I then went to England for Masters Work and finally to Australia for Post Graduate work in teaching and learning.

Why should students choose you as their teacher?

I have travelled to over 60 different countries for both work and for leisure time and have had numerous interactions on any number of topics imaginable. So my experience is one that can assist students in almost any of their needs, from common travel issues in different place to how to cultural conduct business meeting and negotiations.

What do you like about teaching?

When it comes to teaching I really appreciate the manner in which every new student brings a new understanding to my life and it is always fun to interact with people from different places about different experiences they have had in life.

What are you hobbies?

I am an active outdoors man in Canada and enjoy all type of water sports, when possible, such as surfing, wakeboarding, and water skiing, while in the winter I really enjoy skiing. In Europe I am a big fan of roaming round all the old Cathedrals and Castles.

How will you motivate your future students?

I encourage all my students to speak openly and freely in my class, it is important to get into the habit of speaking and expressing themselves as much as they can, this is a great way to help expand vocabulary as in actual speech is when words they are not familiar with truly come to the surface.

What is your message for your students?

Never feel shy about speaking English, or any language, the main importance when you are talking to people is that you can get your main point across, worrying about grammar or accent issues never is really a reason that others will not want to have a conversation with you.

What is the best way to learn English?

The best way to learn any language is to try and expose yourself to it as much as possible and to actively use the language either with colleagues, friends or family.

What do you say to students when they tell you ‘I have no talent for languages’?

Any language you know can take you somewhere different in life, any job, or experience could help you to expand your ability in the future. Specifically now with Covid19, learning a language can only help people in their future careers.

What should students know or do to learn English?

They need to have at least a passion and dedication to realize that nothing in life comes easy and that everything needs handwork and dedication, but with that dedication over time improvements are inevitable.