Hello, my name is Monica Bjerke and I'm 49 years old and currently living in Italy. I am a native Norwegian speaker and teach English, Norwegian. I have been an online Norwegian teacher with Verbalplanet since January 2015.
I can speak the following languages fluently: Norwegian, English, Italian.
I am currently offering a free initial trial lesson for new students.
My Latest Feedback
24 Mar 2016
OliverJarvis
An excellent introductory lesson; highly recommended.
11 Feb 2016
Satheesh S
This was my first paid session. Moinca was happy to teach me what I wanted to learn rather than what she had planned for. As an adult learner it helps me a lot. We managed to dissect and pack in a lot of info in a short period of time.
04 Feb 2016
Satheesh S
This was my Free Trial and It was a comfortable and pleasant session. I learned that Monica can switch between Norwegian and English very quickly which helps me a lot. I went ahead and booked 4 sessions in advance straight after that session.
04 Feb 2016
GattaStregatta
Monica is very good in tailor-made the lessons according to my need
21 Jan 2016
GattaStregatta
I still enjoy my lessons with Monica!
09 Dec 2015
vale2307
Monica is a very competent teacher proposing interesting topics. Excellent lesson.
After quite some time away from this platform, I am now back, and I am excited to meet new students. I can't wait to help you reach your language goals, and teach you something about the Norwegian culture along the way.
I am Norwegian, currently living in Italy - and having previously lived in the US.
I love the arts, reading, knitting, travelling, cooking, eating, hiking, learning new things. This list is not extensive!
Before booking lessons with me, have a look at my POLICIES:
- If you decide to book with me, the minimum number of lessons is five, to be completed over no more than six weeks.
- You will be invoiced after the first lesson. If you after that lesson decide that you do not want to continue, you will not be required to pay.
- Before deciding to work together, we will have a 30 minute call where we together assess your level and you let me know your learning goals. For these 30 minutes to be as efficient as possible, you will receive a small questionnaire to be filled out in advance.
- After this initial talk, I will draft a curriculum for the first five lessons. You will have the chance to give feedback on this curriculum!
- You should know that part of the lesson cost is a fee that is paid to Verbalplanet for the services they provide.
Qualifications & Experience
I am a qualified English teacher from Norway, but I have also taught Norwegian to smaller and larger classes in Norwegian schools. I enjoy teaching, and more than anything I enjoy watching my students learning and improving and reaching their goals.
I have taught in Norwegian schools for 13 years, in an Italian public school for one year, and then in Italian private schools. A few years ago, I taught Norwegian here on Verbalplanet to students from different parts of the world. Lately, however, I have been working mostly in the tourism industry, and unfortunately not had time to teach. Now, I do! I love to teach Norwegian to people who either need it for work or just want to learn it for pleasure! So, I hope to see you soon!
Welcome to my virtual classroom!
Teaching Approach
I believe in having a strong focus on vocabulary learning - also when grammatical structures are studied. When I teach languages, I also teach content. It can be related to cultural aspects in the country of the target language, but it can just as well be about something the student has a particular interest in. While learning a language you should also learn about other things you find interesting! Or - you can share your knowledge about certain topics, or discuss about something that is important to you!
In addition to speaking, I also like to use the chat function in Skype to communicate in writing when necessary or useful. I think that student output is as important as teacher input, involving the student makes him or her learn better.
We do not use particular Norwegian course books, but I find material in books and online, or I create it from scratch, so that it is tailored to your needs. I also create study sets in Quizlet for you to learn vocabulary (words, but most importantly phrases!) more easily.
I believe that in order to see some progress in language learning, the student needs to commit to a minimum of lessons, and over quite a short period of time. If the lessons are too far apart, not enough learning is accomplished. This is why I make a contract with the students who choose to work with me, to do at least five lessons over a time period of no more than six weeks - ideally shorter!