Hello!
Welcome!
My name is Soraia Lourenço and I am the founder of this project, the Pedagogical Coordinator and a Portuguese language tutor. I have a degree in Linguistics and a master's Specialization in Teaching Portuguese Foreign Language / Portuguese Second Language (PFL/PSL). I am Portuguese, with diverse roots.
My academic and continuous training, combined with the working experience I acquired over almost 20 years of teaching Portuguese to people who do not speak my language, makes of me a highly qualified teacher, as well a specialist in teaching PFL and PSL (PLNM), having already several publications in this field.
At the moment I also train teachers in PLNM / PLA.
A discovery of my vocation began in 1999, when I started teaching Portuguese as a mother language in a high school, in Almada, after that I taught in a few other high schools from Alentejo and Algarve regions. Later, in 2006, Timor-Leste was the destination. As a Cooperation Agent, I was involved in several projects there, linked to restoring and strengthening Portuguese language (mostly as an official language) among teachers and other audiences. In 2010, I arrived in Croatia. As a Lecturer of Camões, IP, I taught at the University of Zagreb, where, as a Pedagogical Coordinator and a tutor, I implemented a few projects to disseminate the Portuguese language and promote Portuguese culture and literature among the academic and local communities. In 2018, the twists and turns of life took me again to Timor-Leste. Then, I was a visiting Lecturer at the National University of Timor-Leste and a Portuguese Language Expert in Portuguese for Specific Purposes (PSP). Besides teaching, I also design programs and workbooks for language courses, such as Portuguese for Specific Purposes in Financial Auditing and Prevention and Criminal Investigation fields.
Those who know me, know that the teaching-learning process is not only about what I teach, but above all, about what I learn from those who pass through me.
Since the beginning of my working experience, challenges have been feeding my soul, considering this one, perhaps, the most stimulating of all, because is my own project.
I hope I am up to it. You will tell me!
My journey...
My first publication - a framework for teaching PSL in Timor-Leste
University of Zagreb - 2010-2017
European Day of Languages - Zagreb 2013
Croatia- 2015
Zagreb 2012
Fado Exhibition Zagreb
Academic seminars - Zagreb
Portuguese literature in National Library - Zagreb
Literature diffusion in Zagreb
Literature diffusion in Zagreb
PFL project in Zagreb
Zagreb
Prevention and criminal investigation book - 2021
PSL in Timor-Leste 2006-2010
Timor-Leste 2021
Finance auditing class
PSP in Timor-Leste - 2019-2022
National Hospital - Timor-Leste
National University in Timor-Leste
Classes to the local community - 2006-2010
The project. The mission.
Why this project? Above all, teaching is what I really like to do and, at the same time, it is a way of helping others fulfill themselves, while expressing in a different language, far away from home.
My mission? For sure, making your life easier, while you are in Portugal! To help you overcome the language barrier, so that you can feel at home in a different country, besides the warm welcome from the Portuguese people.
(I used to live in Croatia so, trust me, I really know the struggle we are into, to learn the local language so we could move on in our daily life activities while in our new home country, hoping, in some way, that speaking a few words would be enough, but never is. )
You can change that feeling of helplessness and gain some self confidence to strengthen your Portuguese speaking independence. Get connect with us!
Learning Portuguese with us allows you to quickly evolve your mastery in Portuguese, increasing your confidence levels when interacting with native speakers, which is essential to boost motivation and do some progress through the levels of proficiency you wish to work your way up through (A1-C2).
I present a wide variety of options for learning Portuguese in order to fulfill the communication needs of each one who comes to us, whether to live, work, study or moving to Portugal, even for short-term stays.
We offer a wide range of courses and classes, the regular ones, in a totally innovating method, gives you the chance to costumize your own course according to your learning needs, by choosing short, medium or long duration courses. All our regular courses covers several communicative learning goals, in line with each proficiency level (A1-C2). These costumized learning options includes cultural and grammar content planned to improve writing, reading, listening, and speaking skills in the whishing measures.
Besides those learning options, we also provide improvement or conversation lessons, appropriate for those who need to enhance their spoken, writing or grammar use skills (B1-C2). On what concerns to customized courses, we offer Portuguese for Specific Purposes (PSP), which includes courses for diplomacy and international relations; exam preparation (CIPLE) classes or intensive courses.
For children (above 6 years old) and teens (11-18), we offer PLNM tutoring lessons planned to school Portuguese learning purposes (A1-B1) or PLS for interact outside school environment, in case of international schools students.
In addition to our wide range of courses, we also gives you the choice of having your classes in family or friends groups, occupational groups or one-to-one lessons. Our courses programs are also adapted to different knowledge levels and focused in learners communication needs.
The course's content are planned according to your Portuguese proficiency level and your learning goals.
The methodology adopted follows the most recent teaching approaches at European level, supported by interactive teaching methods that allow you to improve your skills in Portuguese and become much more independent in your daily life.
Our aim is your success!