Designing engaging language learning experiences

Bridging pedagogy, creativity, and technology to unlock effective and deeply motivating language learning.

Teacher Product Manager Artist Polyglot
Cynthia Mayer
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Hi, I'm Cynthia. Originally from eastern France but a nomad at heart, I've lived across France, Japan, the US, China, and South Korea.

With a dual background in engineering and business, paired with an artist's soul, I now specialize in language learning methodology. I design educational experiences that weave together pedagogy, creativity, and technology.

I'm deeply fascinated by what makes language acquisition effective, and specifically how digital tools can elevate that journey.

This space is my "open studio" for that exploration. Here, I share worksheets, pedagogical videos, and songs, to personal reflections, publications, and my latest experiments with AI and language apps.

Languages

🇫🇷 🇬🇧 🇩🇪 🇪🇸 🇰🇷 🇯🇵 🇨🇳 🇸🇰

Education

Master's in Foreign Language Didactics Year 1 · With Distinction France · 2022–2026
BA in Linguistics With Distinction France · 2022
Master of Engineering Management United States · 2018
MSc in Engineering (Software) France · 2018
Alliance Française de Košice
Atelier du Français
EduMe
Upbraining
Visa
Lenovo
DXC Technology
ThyssenKrupp
Académie hôtelière de Prešov
Evangelical gymnasium
Gymnázium sv. Michala
Gymnázium Raymana
Gymnázium Pavla Horova
School in Prešov
TUKE

Teaching Foreign Languages

A selection of my most engaging classroom activities and reflections on language pedagogy.

Teaching French - Worksheets 4 worksheets

  • French Icons & Regions · Card Game

    Discover iconic French figures and places through a custom card game and collaborative storytelling.

    my best-seller during my classroom visits in Slovakia

    ↓ Download
  • French Comic Book Heroes · Card Game

    Discover French comic-book heroes while practising physical description vocabulary.

    there's more to French comics than Astérix!

    ↓ Download
  • Prepositions of Place · Activity Set

    A shop simulation, a chaotic waiter, and mini-activities to practise prepositions of place.

    a fully kinesthetic experience: first standing, then seated at the table.

    ↓ Download
  • Mastering the Imperative and Pronominal Verbs

    Learners step into the shoes of a sports or yoga coach, then roleplay a friend helping another get ready for a party.

    you can even wrap up the session with some dancing!

    ↓ Download

Publications · Horizons FLE 4 articles

General Pedagogy

A selection of my latest co-authored articles on pedagogy, featured on the Upbraining blog.

Formation Upbraining à l'AF de Kosice en 2026

AI-augmented pedagogy

My articles and videos using Heygen, Suno and other tools. Exploring AI as a powerful classroom asset, not a gimmick

★ Articles

Live workshops

Three workshop areas for teachers, schools and institutions. Tailor-made, online or in-person.

  • Les flashcards en langues

    Flashcards for vocabulary and grammar

    2h + Follow-up

    Unlock the full potential of flashcards for long-term memorisation of vocabulary and tricky grammar, thus fostering learner autonomy

    Learner autonomy Vocabulary Grammar Anki DELF

    8000+ flashcards already created; method based on research and experience

  • L'IA appliquée aux langues

    AI applied to language teaching

    Flexible format

    Design more memorable lessons using AI tools as described on ADF. ChatGPT, Suno, Heygen, Claude Code; video editing, vibe coding, songwriting… Tutorials tailored to your needs.

    AI Videos Class projects

    Tutorial examples already published on ADF — see the articles

  • La métapédagogie en classe de langues

    Metapedagogy in the language classroom

    Min. 2h

    In partnership with the Upbraining institute, the fundamentals of pedagogy to make your learners more autonomous and motivated, and your lessons more effective overall.

    Pedagogy Motivation Learner autonomy

    Already delivered at the Alliance Française — see the post

Custom quote

Each workshop can be adapted to your team and context. Write to me for a personalised quote.

Request a quote

What they say about me

I love contributing to projects that are meaningful to me. My professional ethos is built on proactivity, passion, creativity and adaptability.

  • Student

    Cynthia is an amazing teacher! She adapts to your level and helps you progress based on what you already know. Her explanations are clear and effective. I highly recommend her!!

    Allison Lawrence A1 - American
  • FFL Teacher

    I am so grateful to you for visiting our class. Your visit was incredibly encouraging and motivating for me, and the students responded so positively too. You sparked a real interest across the school! Since your visit, almost all the students greet me in French, whereas before, only three or four did...

    Alena M. Lycée Michalovce (Slovakia)
  • Student

    Lessons with Cynthia are incredibly beneficial. It is obvious that she is a language learner herself; she knows exactly which teaching methodologies work and applies them perfectly. Thanks to this, my French improves with every single lesson. At the same time, Cynthia is deeply creative and knows how to make every class engaging.

    Robert K. B2 - Slovakian
  • Student

    I had the pleasure of being taught conversational French by Cynthia Mayer for a few months and had a very positive experience. She was always very well prepared, knowledgeable, and able to explain concepts in a clear and engaging way. Her patience and careful attention to the needs of each individual student created a supportive environment that encouraged me to practice and inspired confidence in me to ask many questions. Her passion for teaching French really showed in every one of her classes that I attended and so I truly believe that she will continue to be an excellent teacher in her future career.

    Minho Kim A1 - Korean
  • Student

    I fondly remember our classes, especially our discussions and the fits of laughter we shared whenever our teacher, Cynthia, sparked debates about life. You can truly feel her immense potential and her sincere love for people. I am deeply grateful to her.

    Svitlana B1 - Ukrainian
  • Internship Supervisor

    I have absolutely no complaints, I think it’s excellent. The students were able to practice what they learned with their teacher in a fun environment. The activities were well-suited to the different proficiency levels, and it’s incredibly creative. I genuinely think it’s wonderful for children, it really is. Thank you for this beautiful work.

    Estelle Kosnansky Alliance Française of Košice
  • Internship Supervisor

    I worked with Ms. Mayer on a group of Moroccan women who wanted to learn how to read and write. Some of them did not speak French. These women had never been to school in their home country. Despite the difficulty of this task, my trainee was warm and supportive; she encouraged every learner and took the necessary time to give clear explanations. Cynthia would stand up to go see specific students, look at them while speaking, and address them by their first names. She connected her teaching to their daily lives. The learning objectives were presented clearly. Cynthia organized progressive exercises and consistently checked for understanding of the instructions, her corrections, and her explanations. It was a pleasure to work with her and to improve my own teaching methods alongside her

    Colette Dupré Centre Culturel de Belfort
  • Manager

    Within our organization, Cynthia efficiently and completely autonomously led a multidisciplinary working group of around fifteen professionals. She demonstrated immense patience and strong listening skills, notably thoughtfully addressing the professionals’ anxieties regarding technology.

    Isabelle Cornu University Hospital of Nantes
  • Manager

    I had the pleasure of working with Cynthia. […] She goes above and beyond to help others. When the going gets tough, she can step into multiple roles to get things moving. […] She is a great team player, an out-of-the-box thinker and a creative problem solver. She also has the rare skill of knowing how to break down complex concepts into simple examples. She would be an asset to any team!

    Kumar Gunasekaran Visa
  • Manager

    Cynthia demonstrated an amazing self-motivation and eagerness to learn. […] Being keen to learn and doing her best is a part of her personality. Her communication and analysis skills are excellent. Moreover, as Cynthia worked with us in a bi-cultural environment, French and Chinese, using three different languages every day with no issue. At a personal level, it was a pleasure to work together as she has a cheerful, positive attitude and a smile starting in the morning.

    Stéphane Mallet Defontaine Qingdao
  • Manager

    I couldn't recommend Cynthia more highly, she's an incredible team player, innovator and creative problem-solver.

    Spencer Goold AGIF
  • Colleague

    One thing about Cynthia I admire is her proactive and results-oriented nature. I had the privilege of working with her as the co-Teaching Assistant for a Masters course and, any time a task was assigned to us, Cynthia would instantly complete it. She seemed to really enjoy her work and that passion was very inspiring. She was very innovative too and always tried to find a way to make the course more interesting. Cynthia is very dedicated when it comes to her work.

    Tanaya Amar Duke University