My name is Aleksandra Rodić Gojak, or teacher Saška as most people who complete and enrich my life call me every day. I was born and I live in Belgrade. I love teaching English, and my students are both lower elementary and upper elementary students, high school students and college students, business people and pensioners.
I have been treading the boards of English Language Teaching stage since 1998. The boards in this case have been of different colors and used for different purposes. They used to be green or black, then white, while now they are also interactive and smart. Also, there is another perk that modern technology has provided us with – I can teach my students from the comfort of my home. As times are changing, English language teaching methods and approaches are changing too and there is always at least one latest ELT method that is considered to be the best and/or the most efficient and effective. However, I firmly believe that despite, or even better, together with all the changes and innovations in the world of English language teaching, the most important element and often a decisive factor for the successful acquisition of language skills is the ability of a teacher, an educator to motivate their students. Therefore, when asked which method or approach I use in my teaching, I say a bit of each of them (it exclusively depends on the individual language needs of my student), and when asked who I am as a teacher and what my teaching style is, I always (and proudly) say: ‘I consider myself a MOTIVATOR’.
Why ENGLISH MOSAIC?
English language is an area of study that has fascinated me since the earliest days. Starting from elementary school, through the Philological High School in Belgrade, all the way to my BA and MA studies at the Department of English language and literature at the Faculty of Philology in Belgrade, I have strongly believed that teaching English is my calling, my passion and something I am committed to hear and soul. And so it is today. I enjoy transferring knowledge, and my students’ success is something that always puts a smile on my face and a twinkle in my eye.
MOSAIC represents the idea that no particular, specific English Language Teaching method or approach is sufficient in itself – a synergy of several of them is necessary so that every student in your class has the best possible experience and achieves the best possible results. The mosaic of English language teaching entails putting together different, more or less even chunks of knowledge that reflect students’ individual, specific language needs and creating a completely new whole which is professionally called language competence. Thus, various materials and approaches need to be used in English language teaching practice, all in accordance with students’ individual language needs. Every chunk of knowledge acquired through what I call the mosaic method of English language teaching is a direct result of the synergy of precisely determined students’ language needs and adequately selected materials and approaches.
In my many years of experience, this approach, the mosaic approach, has proven to be most successful when it comes to both General English and Business English Courses but also when it comes to Cambridge English Qualifications Preparation Courses. The fact that all my students who have sat Cambridge English Qualifications have passed them with flying colors speaks volumes in support of this approach.
What does all this mean in practice? For example, if you do not have more than 30 minutes of free time per day, and you would like to improve your English language speaking skills, book a free online trial lesson and in conversation with an experienced and highly qualified teacher specify the method or approach as well as the scope of topics that are in your focus of interest and that you would like to be included in the program. Improve your communication skills in English in a pleasant atmosphere, from the comfort of your home or office, using carefully selected materials and the approach with which you will achieve the best results. 