Tiana Portnova
About
I am a multi-lingual, double-Master’s level educator and accredited coach specializing in language acquisition, academic excellence, personal and professional transformation. I help students and working professionals master new languages, pass exams, and achieve career goals. Because I have background in psychology and educational theory, I do not only use standard approaches or textbooks. Instead, I design custom, evidence-based learning strategies that help to bypass mental blocks, deal with learning anxiety, and build confidence. As an a non-native bilingual professional who successfully mastered 3 foreign languages, I possess unique insight into the mechanics of language learning. I know exactly where the roadblocks are, and I provide my students with structured ways to overcome them.
Teaching Style
My teaching slogan is science meets empathy. I combine advanced educational science, cognitive psychology, and human empathy to design a highly personalized learning experience
- Evidence-based psychology: I use cognitive behavioral principles to identify your unique learning habits and eliminate performance anxiety, unlocking a faster path to success.
- Deep personalization: I adapt every lesson to match your unique emotional learning style, preferences, and how your brain naturally processes and stores information.
- Communicative methods: For languages, I skip drills. I use modern communicative techniques and memory science so you learn by speaking in real-world scenarios.
- Soft skills integration: I weave critical thinking, emotional regulation, and time management into our lessons. These foundational skills make you a resilient, highly effective learner for life.
Curriculum
My methodology is rooted in the Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) framework and Cognitive Behavioral Coaching. I treat learning as an interactive, psychological journey rather than a memorization task
- My lessons focus on real-world situations, structured speaking, and contextual application.
- You will spend 70% of the time actively speaking, analyzing, or problem-solving.
- I design review cycles based on cognitive educational psychology. This ensures that
- vocabulary and grammar structures move permanently from your short-term working memory into long-term retrieval.
- Drawing from my psychology background, I structure lessons to lower learning anxiety. The lesson aims to be your psychological "safe zone" for making and mistakes and learning.
I use a mix of globally recognized academic standards and personalized digital resources. Depending on your goals, we will use the following materials:
- For English: Cambridge Assessment materials, IELTS/TOEFL ETS Preparation Guides, Pearson textbooks and Oxford Business English case studies for executive clients.
- For Spanish: MCER (CEFR) standard curriculum texts, and DELE preparation guidelines and case studies of real-life situations.
Credentials & Affiliations
- MA in Education – Specialized in teaching methods and learning acquisition
- MA in Teaching Spanish – Advanced linguistic and pedagogical methodologies
- BA in Psychology – Focused on personal development, cognitive learning and motivation
- CELTA & TEFL Certifications – International English qualifications
- Certified Integrative Coach – Professional training through an AC-accredited school
