About the teacher
Who am I?
My name is Anita and I come from Ålesund, on the beautiful west coast. Ålesund is a medium-sized town with a population of 50,000.
After upper secondary school I moved to Bergen to study. I studied Spanish simply because I wanted to improve my Spanish … I didn't know what I wanted to do, but I liked learning new languages. While I lived there, I worked in kindergartens all over Bergen.
I also started a business after seeing a cool video on YouTube, and it was not just any business. I made hula hoops, performed, ran courses and taught people to dance and do tricks with a hula hoop. I was also a belly dance instructor. Many people thought this was very strange, and I kept getting comments («Dancing with a hula hoop isn't a real job!»).
When I started teaching Norwegian online in 2014, apparently that was strange too («it isn't a real job when you don't leave the house»)!
Online teaching wasn't as common back then.
I started teaching on a language learning platform, and I loved it! After a few years I made my own website, Online Norwegian, and later Supernorsk.
I have always been interested in languages, and I learn quite fast once I get going. Apart from English, I speak (decent) Spanish, Russian, German and (a little!) Chinese. This is a great advantage, not only because students can ask questions in their own language, but because I understand why some things are especially challenging. I know what sets Norwegian apart from other languages. Since I have learned many languages myself, I have also taken hundreds of lessons myself, so I have a lot of experience as an online language student. I know it isn't easy to speak up when you don't understand a question, or to say that you're unhappy with the teaching. That is why the most important thing for me is that students feel safe and relaxed in the lesson. I know that many people are nervous and find it scary to speak Norwegian, but I am patient and flexible, and I know that people are different.
My teaching style is based on the theory of comprehensible input and my own learning methods, and inspired by my students.
Over the years I have developed my own methods, such as the popular cartoon lesson. I make a lot of the material myself, and I really enjoy that.
I like writing, and in 2022 I published a book, Guri og talentkonkurransen.
It was something I had wanted to do for a long time. Many students have told me they would like to read more, but there is so little that suits adult learners at A2–B1 level, especially outside Norway. So one day I sat down and started writing about Guri and her crazy adventure. After a few months of intense work (and a little dash of hyperfocus), the book was out in the world. 😊
In 2025 I took the one-year programme Norwegian as a Second Language (Prisme) at the University of Bergen. It was very interesting and I learned a lot.
I have moved around a fair bit, and I have lived in Scotland and Malta, and now I'm in Spain (my bachelor's degree finally came in handy! 😊)
I have helped people from all over the world reach their goals, and I'd be happy to help you too!
I like writing, and in 2022 I published a book, Guri og talentkonkurransen.
It was something I had wanted to do for a long time. Many students have told me they would like to read more, but there is so little that suits adult learners at A2–B1 level, especially outside Norway. So one day I sat down and started writing about Guri and her crazy adventure. After a few months of intense work (and a little dash of hyperfocus), the book was out in the world. 😊
In 2025 I took the one-year programme Norwegian as a Second Language (Prisme) at the University of Bergen. It was very interesting and I learned a lot.
I have moved around a fair bit, and I have lived in Scotland and Malta, and now I'm in Spain (my bachelor's degree finally came in handy! 😊)
I have helped people from all over the world reach their goals, and I'd be happy to help you too!
How can I help you?
Some want to practise listening comprehension, build their vocabulary and get help with grammar, while others want to pass Norskprøven, apply for a job or communicate with a partner and friends. Many live in Norway and know some Norwegian, but lack the confidence to use it in everyday life. Others start from the very beginning and may not have much experience learning foreign languages.
You don't learn Norwegian automatically by living in Norway.
Many people think that if you live in the country, you will learn the language quickly, but this is a myth.
There are many reasons why, after several years in Norway and perhaps one or more Norwegian courses, you may still not feel confident enough to use Norwegian in everyday life:
- You have international colleagues and English is the working language.
- You are shy or afraid of saying something ‘wrong’ or ‘stupid’.
- It can be hard to make Norwegian friends, and ‘everyone’ speaks English.
- Even if you use Norwegian in everyday life, dialects, slang and other everyday expressions that aren't in the textbook can be very difficult.
In the lessons you can ask about anything you are wondering about, and build the vocabulary and confidence you need for parent-teacher meetings, job interviews, dialects and lunch breaks with colleagues.
Background and education
- Norwegian as a Second Language: the Prisme programme, University of Bergen, 2025.
- Testing and assessment of language skills, 2024, University of Bergen
- Work-oriented Norwegian language training, 2026, University of Bergen
- Bachelor's degree in Spanish, University of Bergen (UiB), 2011
- Experience from kindergarten.
- Dance instructor with my own business.