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Take your conversational English to the next level with a combination of weekly live discussions and conversations on Telegram outside of class!

"I don't get to speak English much these days so this group gave me a chance to speak, listen to my own voice and understand my own mistakes and getting feedback from you on each message was great. And listening to other people and learning new words and expressions from them and learning about their experiences and culture was fun. I feel a bit more confident than before and motivated to keep learning."

Are you an English learner who:

Wants to practice speaking in English but doesn't have anyone to practice with?

Has been learning English for a while but hasn't seen much improvement lately?

Feels shy when speaking in English?

Likes learning new English expressions and vocabulary but never remember to use them?

Would love to receive feedback from an English teacher?

If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, then Speak UP is for YOU!

What Students Have to Say

Max, Mexico

"The Speak UP community is an amazing and extremely useful initiative. Everyone should try it out. You will be more and more confident, learn new words, expressions and you will be a member of an extraordinary community."

Behnam, Iran

"What I liked about this group was that the teacher was careful and responsive to all the members of the group and answered all of them and corrected our mistakes. This group gave me more excitement and motivation to learn English."

Tina, Russia

"I found it helpful to listen to your corrections - not only mine but others as well. I got a more clear picture of what I should work on in my English journey. Thank you again Rachel for inviting me here, that was a fun experience."

Welcome to Speak UP 2.0!

Speak UP 2.0 is an online community for intermediate English learners that runs for 6 weeks at a time, where students can participate in live discussions with other English learners while also engaging in conversations outside of the discussions in the Telegram app. This community is specifically for students who are looking for a safe environment to practice their English speaking skills in an intentional and productive way. If you join, you will:

Engage in a live discussion with a certified English teacher and other English learners every week

Watch videos based on a variety of different topics that we'll talk about during our discussions

Learn new English expressions and vocabulary, how to use them, and how to adopt them into everyday

conversations

Receive personalized feedback from an English teacher, both on your performance in the live discussions and

on your homework

Discover how to speak more clearly, naturally, and confidently in English!

Speak

You will be asked to watch a short video each week that we will use for our weekly live discussions. Before we meet for our discussion, you will answer a question about the video using an audio or video recording and upload it to our group in the Telegram app. After the live discussion, we will continue the conversation in Telegram.

Engage

During the live discussions and our conversations on Telegram, you can share your own thoughts about the videos, but you will also have opportunities to listen to what other learners think and respond to what they have to say too. This community is based on conversation, and in any conversation, it's good to learn when to talk and when to listen, so we will be sure to practice both of these skills.

GROW

As your teacher, I will give you some feedback on what you share in your recordings and on what you share in the live discussions. This feedback is meant to help you discover what you can do to further improve your speaking skills, such as reminding you how to correctly use the second conditional or knowing when to use the word "homesick" vs. "homesickness."

Level Up

Through the videos and our weekly live discussions, you will be exposed to different grammar structures, vocabulary, expressions, and accents, all of which will help you advance both your speaking and listening skills. In addition, I will share vocabulary and expressions that might be new to you from the videos each week, and we will discuss how these words and expressions are used with examples in context and how you can start using them in conversations!

But why group classes?

Some students believe 1-1 classes are better for learning English because of the individualized attention they get from their English teacher and because of their personalized lessons and feedback. If that's you, here are just some of the benefits of group classes through Speak UP 2.0:

Practice speaking to people with all different types of accents and backgrounds, which is closer to real life

than speaking 1-1 with just an English teacher

Learn how to listen well and respond appropriately in a conversation - in 1-1 conversation classes, you're

supposed to do more of the talking than the teacher, so you're more likely to adopt these skills in group

classes

Make friends! You may become friends with your English teacher after you've worked with them for a while, but

they can't dedicate all of their free time to you. If you want to make friends you can speak to in English more

regularly, joining these group classes will expose you to learners just like you who might want the same thing!

I've actually had students in group classes who continued to meet regularly on their own even after my classes

ended. Making friends is such a great way for students to practice real conversations in English, and this can

easily happen with group classes.

Who am I?

Hi, I'm Rachel! I'm an English teacher from the U.S. with over 8 years of teaching experience. I help my students advance their conversational skills and become more confident speakers!

I created the Speak UP Telegram community after directly asking students what they felt they needed to improve their English. Speak UP gives learners the opportunity to practice their speaking skills every week (every day, if they'd like!) in a way that is engaging, comfortable, and affordable. It's also a way learners can receive feedback on their English from a qualified English teacher. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions!

Want to commit to improving your speaking skills and increasing your confidence over the course of 6 weeks? Sign up today! We will officially begin Monday, April 17.

What exactly do I have to do in order to participate?

You will be asked to watch (or just listen to) one video every week for 6 weeks that we will talk about during our live discussions. While you're watching the video, I'd like you to write down one new vocabulary word or expression that you heard and share it with us during the live discussion. Before we meet, you will share an audio or video recording in our Telegram group answering a question I will give you based on the video. You will then attend the live discussion, where we will talk more about the video, and then after the discussion, you are welcome to share other thoughts you had about the video in our Telegram group.
When, where, and how long are the weekly live discussions?

You have the option of joining a live discussion on Mondays at 11:00am EDT (3:00pm GMT), Mondays at 2:30pm EDT (6:30pm GMT), or Fridays at 9:00am EDT (1:00pm GMT). All live discussions will take place on Zoom (you will receive the link when you sign up) and will last 45 minutes.
What types of videos will we be watching and how long are they?

We will be watching videos that cover current events and other topical content. The videos are all 10-20 minutes long.
When do I have to answer each week's question

Please leave an audio or video recording answer the week's question in our Telegram group the day before we meet at the latest (so if you're in one of the Monday groups, you should share your answer by Sunday, and if you're in the Friday group, you should share by Thursday).
How many students are in live discussions and in the Telegram group?

The live discussions will have a minimum of 3 students per group and a maximum of 7. The Telegram group is for all participants, so it will have a maximum of 21 students.