Catherine

Lively, imaginative learning, step by step! I have a Double First in English Language and Literature from Oxford University, Qualified Teacher Status and 30 years' teaching experience. I teach Year 8 up to and including GCSE.
I have an annually updated, Enhanced DBS (Disclosure & Barring) Certificate. I find teaching amazing because every student has their own unique way of looking at the world. Helping them to enjoy using words to communicate and to explore their own imagination is a real joy. I know what examiners want, and I like to find creative, imaginative ways to help students provide it. English is an infinitely adaptable subject. It allows a teacher to see what interests a student and create an enjoyable way for them to fulfil their potential. At the same time, tuition is a two-way street. It is only effective if a student is already doing their best, and just needs some expert help, confidence and fun!

Tutoring Experience

Thirty year's teaching experience in one hour! That's what your child will receive. My teaching experience includes working full-time as a secondary-school English teacher and teaching as a private English tutor. I create and share my own teaching materials on the TES Resources platform and my resources have been downloaded over 116,000 times. I've always drawn cartoons to create lively explanations that are clear, memorable and fun. For nine years I wrote for the TES as an educational journalist. This has been invaluable, real-life preparation for teaching the non-fiction part of the course. For thirty years I have also written and performed my own songs. This has been excellent experience for the creative writing part of the course.

Tutoring Approach

Confidence is fundamental to learning anything, so I focus on boosting confidence with specific, honest praise. Enjoyable, rewarding work well suited to the student's interests makes progress come naturally. However, this is only the case if a child is already working hard at school. I would strongly advise against hiring a tutor to "give a child a push". It doesn't work. My teaching style helps those who are already trying their best but need some extra inspiration, creativity and a boost of confidence!
PLEASE NOTE:
First lesson free, subject to availability. Half an hour on Skype, so your child can see if they like my approach.
ALSO NOTE: Regular lessons are face to face at my home. I only teach online occasionally.
Visuals are helpful and fun: I use drawings and cartoons to explain ideas. I've also made a miniature Shakespeare's Globe Theatre with a Playmobil ghost! Feedback is given clearly, in a user-friendly, colour-coded way: green for good, red for wrong, purple for what to do next.
Laughter can help to relieve anxiety, and also provides light relief if a student is studying texts filled with murder, suicide and war. Great literature is not all miserable! I offer balance, e.g. by sometimes giving a funny poem or a witty article. I find this can help a student to find their own voice in their non-fiction writing.
English is not just about words: it's about people. I teach in a way that reflects this. I help students to form a lifelong habit of reading, with curiosity about the real world and the world of imagination. Exam practice is very important, of course, but in my view, it should not dominate lessons in the boring, anxious way that it does in some schools. That approach can kill interest in the subject. If this happens, it is hard to gain good grades and retain a love of reading. However, if students enjoy their work and feel encouraged by evidence of their own progress, then exam practice is a positive thing: it helps them to show what they can do!