Teacher, head of teachers, teacher trainer, coordinator,…
I have lived in a few different cultures, starting with Canada (Flin Flon, Manitoba), where I grew up, went to university (Winnipeg) and worked for many years. My teaching experience at that time was directed towards backgammon and later Tai Chi Ch’uan. It was in Japan (Kyoto & Osaka) where I began to explore teaching English as a foreign language more intensely and I eventually ended up in Barcelona, Spain, where I now live with my wife Núria and my son Pau.
Working in different schools in different capacities (teacher, head of teachers, teacher trainer, coordinator) has provided me with many perspectives but I draw my greatest inspirations from the students themselves, as vast in range in their life experiences, personal situations and capabilities as they are in number. It is through the ever-changing interactions we share that I have come to appreciate just how wondrous the learning experience can be. The obstacles and frustrations are just as much of it as the victories and the discoveries and they have all contributed to my approach to teaching.
Over the years I feel I have come across many good and solid ideas that have sometimes found their way into specific and concrete materials and methodological approaches. I am excited about them and want to share them with other teachers, fresh and experienced alike. What started as a book evolved into a more dynamic form as a website. It is my hope that some of the ideas presented here will be of some interest to you.
– Max Neil W Maximchuk