User:Violetta Crisis~enwikiversity

Currently working as an English teacher in Prague (TEFL for business classes), I completed my degree in German in June 2006 and am mainly interested in European languages and literature. I also took European Union Studies and European Social Policy for a year each, and Italian for two years. I'm planning (hoping) to return to Edinburgh University to add to my MA at some point in the very near future.

Current Projects: TEFL
I'm spending most of my time developing TEFL materials for my own use and examining my own teaching style and techniques. I'm also trying to discuss those all-too-common teaching problems with as many fellow sufferers as possible to try and figure out a solution.

Main questions:

 * How native speakers can use their insticts for the language to become effective teachers of grammar
 * How to avoid oversimplifying grammar in the beginning - often this establishes inaccurate ideas which are difficult to override later, leading to frustrated teachers and students who assume they're stupid.

Non-TEFL Projects

 * General background research into life in the Burgundy region during the Early Middle Ages.
 * Close reading of the German epic "Das Nibelungenlied"

There are many other projects on the boil but these are the ones with highest chance of completion at the moment. Collaboration and feedback on any of these would be welcomed with open arms.