ESL Basics

ESL Basics: How It Began

It all happened up in the Rocky Mountains on a whim really. Our family always takes a vacation every year together, and in 2008 we were perched up in a mountain cabin in Estes Park, Colorado. On one of our last days there, my brother Josh and I were watching a cooking show on television. I kept looking at the host thinking, "I could do that." Not cook, mind you. My mom gave up on me a long time ago with that. No, I mean explain something to the masses in a way that's simple and creative. I finally said outloud to Josh, "You know, I feel like I could do that." "Do what?", he asked. "I don't know. Explain the steps to something on camera. I feel like I could do that." To this day, I don't remember if it was Josh or myself who thought of it first, but all of the sudden, the ball was rolling. I could do it, but instead of souffles and parsnip (I told you I don't know anything about cooking), I could teach my passion - ESL. Within minutes, Josh and I were bouncing ideas off each other...What our site could look like, what avenues for learning we would create, what the videos could look like. And there, with mountains majesty as our backdrop, ESLbasics.com was conceived.

ESL Basics: Who We Are Today

Today, ESLbasics.com has been accessed by thousands of students and teachers in 150+ countries around the world. Josh and I are more committed than ever to the authentic language learning process, and are constantly discovering innovative ways to make the language learning process a happy one. 

At ESL Basics, we believe that real-life context is a student's best friend, not a list of terms to memorize. This is why our vocabulary is surrounded by a conversation. This fosters an environment where students aren't just learning one word, they are acquiring language. ESL Basics is structured around a philosophy of student-centered lessons, videos, and usability. We also know that everyone learns better together, so we have created the ability for students to share what they find with their peers through social networks around the globe. ESL Basics: Watch and Learn.

Andrea Giordano loves to teach. Having travelled to 5 continents, she is just as comfortable teaching in high-tech university classrooms as she is in the open-air huts of Central America. For some time, Andrea has been teaching portions of her classes online, experimenting with how the ESL learner best utilizes the internet. Andrea teaches at Campbellsville University in Kentucky where she has been an ESL instructor for 5 years. The ESL Institute at CU averages about 75 students per term and boasts a thriving TESOL endorsement program where Andrea also teaches each semester. Andrea presented a seminar at the SETESOL convention in 2007, and is constantly looking for ways to connect with other ESL/EFL educators around the world. Andrea holds an M.Ed. in TESOL from Shenandoah University in Winchester, VA and is married to a brilliant and talented baker named Mike.

Josh is co-founder of ESL Basics as well as Andrea's younger brother. He lives just outside of Nashville, TN with his wife Katherine and loves to think of new ideas to improve business practices. Although Josh is new to the TESOL world, he is not new to the fundamentals of business. Josh's style of business is mostly relational. He believes that personality and relationships are two factors of business that are crucial to sucess in the workplace. This could be explained by his background in both marketing and psychology, having received his degree in both fields. He currently works for a large Email Service Provider coding and designing commercial emails.

If you are interested in booking Andrea to speak at your school or organization, just visit our contact page to check on availability.

Book Andrea for any of the following:

• Writing Workshops
• Grammar Crash Courses
• Language and Culture Seminars
• Cultural Sensitivity Training
• Reading Awareness
• Conferences
• Professional Development 

If you don't find what you are looking for on this list, just contact us and we'll let you know Andrea's availability.