I am a drawing instructor at TX State University and have been selected to teach the drawing component of a Summer Study Abroad Program in Florence. I knew I needed help getting an understanding of the language in a somewhat short chunk of time, and Carlos was immeasurably helpful. Carlos has a wonderful, intuitive teaching style that gracefully weaves in and out of grammatical and conversational skill sets. He is super generous with his handouts and printed material, which allow for thorough homework assignments and drills. Carlos is super capable of fine tuning his approach to students individual needs, which makes for a very productive course and smooth learning curve. I am here in Italy now, receiving kudos from taxi drivers, shopkeepers, baristas, and even another Italian teacher! I only studied with Carlos for 4 months and I improved greatly. I highly recommend his services. He is a great teacher, a fun conversationalist, and a very nice guy. I look forward to continue studying with him when I return.
I have studied other languages in a variety of settings: classrooms, self-study and small groups, but my private lessons with Carlos have been the most enjoyable and efficient method I have tried. The lessons are always pleasant because Carlos provides a variety of methods to keep the lessons interesting. As he is a native speaker of Italian, Carlos can explain difficult concepts and model pronunciation in a way that inspires confidence in the student.
One really striking aspect of the experience is Carlos’s skill in tailoring the material and approach to the needs and interests of the student. Because of this, the grammar I learned took about half the time it would have if I had been in college. He is always prepared with something interesting, provides recommendations for films and books and hosts a conversation salon that is welcoming and helpful for all students. Carlos is friendly, personable and encouraging. I recommend him as a teacher to anyone who wants to learn Italian.
Italian is such a beautiful language and Italy such a wondrous destination that for the past 20 years, I’d wanted to speak passable italian. I’d listened to tapes, self-studied a bit, and could use certain limited phrases, but couldn’t converse, and, more importantly, didn’t understand the grammatical rules governing the language. Fortunately, there was the opportunity to study with Carlos. Carlos is an exceptional teacher. He has condensed the rules of the italian language into digestible bites. He has a wide array of exercises that build on one another, so that one must integrate all aspects of the language into new concepts. He’s a master at adapting to the needs of each individual student. But really, the proof is in the outcome. After studying with Carlos for around 6 months, on our last trip to Italy, I received uniformly positive feedback from the Italians themselves. Carlos is an ideal teacher for students at all levels.
My husband and I have an apartment in Italy where we spend four months a year. Hence, we have been trying to learn to speak Italian for quite some time- we have taken informal courses at UT, weeklong courses in Rome, and we have used tapes, books, and various other programs. Nothing we have done compares to the personalized approach Carlos took with us. The progress we made in a couple of months is very encouraging. Carlos quickly assessed our skills and our weaknesses, and he provided a variety of platforms for practice. Carlos always takes notes of where we falter and then is ready at the next lesson to teach and practice that skill. Carlos is a superb teacher, and he has a knack for explaining difficult concepts in a way that is both understandable and memorable. The fact that he is a fluent English speaker and Italian speaker makes it easy for him to understand the idiosyncrasies of both languages, and he uses that understanding to make things clear for his students. Time flies with Carlos. Yes, we review homework and the nuts of bolts of grammar, but more importantly, we have a lot of fun, enjoying Italian conversation on topics that are interesting and relevant. We leave next week for spring in Italy, and we go with greater confidence as Italian speakers than before. We recommend Carlos as an excellent teacher without reservation! Plus, you will be happy to make a new friend!
My wife and I arranged to have lessons with Carlos during a February trip to visit our son in Austin. We met in the charming confines of Caffè Medici in West Austin (excellent espresso though the staff did not seem to speak a word of Italian!). Carlos quickly ascertained our level of competency in the language and how our time could best be used. He then structured four 90-minute sessions that combined conversation with fortifying of key grammatical concepts. He is clearly a gifted teacher and his enthusiasm for the language was palpable. He went above and beyond in providing videos of Italian movies and other materials he thought we would enjoy after our sessions together ended. If Carlos were Philadelphia-based, we could surely have a continuing learning relationship with him. In short I recommend Carlos to others without qualification.
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