I have been told by my previous students that I have a “talent” for helping non-native speakers reach a level that is not often reached. I graduated from leading universities in the US and South Korea, and have culturally diverse and rich experiences to share with you.
Option 1: We can have a short article selected from New York Times or The Economist and discuss the main topics.
Option 2: I usually pick out several questions from TOEFL or GRE writing prompts and let the student brainstorm main ideas for his/her essay and write it in class. Then I revise the writing with the student right after.
Option 3: I can prepare dialogues from TV shows or movies and we can practice playing the characters if you want to focus on conversational skills more.
I have been teaching English in after school setting at high schools and middle schools in Africa and in South Korea as a volunteer. During the last 3-4 years, I have been teaching students online as a paid tutor. My students include an IBM employee in Japan, a high school student, and a dentist/professor in Seoul.
I use Google Docs for most of my classes and it serves as a class log and notes for students to review the materials after each class. Also, it is a convenient tool to revise students' writing real-time. I strongly believe in the importance of individualized / personalized learning experience so I do everything possible to tailor my lessons to each student.