Dr. Sophie Hsia

I'll get the most basic info about the student such as the level at which s/he begins, their  background in other languages, what goals s/he wishes to pursue and what results  s/he expects to achieve. A brief test of sorts will also be helpful for me to determine their level. Getting to know the student at a personal level: their interests, hobbies, other studies, likes and dislikes, etc.

I have been trained in educational and cognitive psychology and in language acquisition so I'm very familiar with the principles of language learning and learning behavior. I hold a diploma in the teaching of languages from Edinburgh, an MS in applied American linguistics and French (Georgetown University), and an Ed.D. in human development and psychology (Harvard University).

No, I don't. It'll depend on the level of the student. I'll not charge anything for the first lesson. The price will be determined after the first lesson with their agreement.

I received a scholarship to teach English and so was naturally sent to teach English at colleges following my training, after which I felt confident enough to be able to teach in Belgium (because of my family's move) at the French university. I was considered a native speaker of English by the Belgian professors and was hired under the assumption that I am a native speaker of English.

In French Belgium, I'd taught mostly French-speaking undergraduates. I'd also taught many "foreign" students during their first two years at the university. They were French-speaking Africans from mostly French parts of Africa. I'd also taught many Nigerian students. In Hong Kong and Singapore, my students were all Chinese, either Mandarin Chinese speaking in Singapore or Cantonese speaking in Hong Kong. In the USA, in the Boston area, I'd taught mostly Caucasian students at Northeastern U., Lesley College, Harvard ESL programs where the students were mainly from Korea and Japan, some from Spain, Israel, Brazil and Argentina, Venezuela and other parts of South America.  At the University of Phoenix Online where I taught in the doctoral programs, many of my advanced students are African American, some from the First Nations in Canada, and others from the Alleghenies and Pittsburgh areas. Most others are Caucasian adult woking students..

I love young students. Here in Chicago, you see them everyday on public transportation. Many of them are enrolled at Loyola, some at Northwestern, some at the U of Chicago. I love to talk to the Chinese students from PRC who are here to do their degrees. I always ask them what they are studying and we usually end up having very interesting conversations about their aspirations and their future plans.  I like to serve as their adviser through casual conversations. Many of them need an older reliable person to guide them through their academic career in the US.

It depends on their level and what they hope to achieve. It is important to check out their goals and help them reach them through the best means possible. I will plan the lessons according to their goals.

As far as my area of expertise is concerned, I'd give them a friendly short test of some sort that will help determine where they are so that we can establish a baseline to work from.

About their goals and what they hope to achieve. If it's something related to language proficiency, their goals may surpass reality, in some situations. I'll be happy to direct them along but I'll have to let them know what is attainable and what may not be attainable. For example, if a student insists on being able to speak Chinese perfectly without a trace of accent within a matter of months, or to be able to speak English like a native, I can give them a lot of helpful advice but it will not be possible to achieve that through the tutorials I give them unless they immerse themselves in a language lab and listen  to dialogues etc. all day long.