Christopher

I am 51 years old, and now in my 13th year of teaching. I passionately believe that the ability to communicate verbally or in writing, is the most important skill we possess. Learning English is not just about passing exams - it is about being able to express yourself clearly, creatively and honestly, and affects all aspects of your life and identity. I love the subject because in the course of studying plays, poems and novels, I get to discuss every subject under the sun, with lots of people who have different views and ideas. In addition, not only has English borrowed words from many other languages, it is in a constant state of change as the internet brings the world closer together and adds ever more diversity to what is already, one of the richest languages in the world! As well as an English degree, I also have a degree in History, which has come in very useful teaching anything from Shakespeare to World War One poetry. I am particularly interested in creative writing and also using speaking assignments as a springboard to greater understanding of a text or character. In my spare time, I enjoy paying cricket, doing charity work and walking.

Tutoring Experience

I have 12 years' experience teaching English to students in KS3-5 in state secondary schools, grammar schools, comprehensive schools and independent schools, including teaching for a short time in the Bahamas. In addition to that, I have been an examiner for the GCSE English Language paper for AQA since 2011, and I have also marked the English Language IGCSE for Cambridge International Examiners since 2014. I also have a lot of tutoring experience having been a private tutor since 2005. My last two tutees achieved C and B grades at GCSE English Language last year, having been predicted D and C respectively. My last A level student achieved an A grade at English Literature.

Tutoring Approach

Wherever possible, I like to use the same approach to tutoring as I do to class teaching - so I like a lot of discussion and I like to get tutees to use a lot of evaluation activities. I like to be creative, so I might ask a student studying a text to match a character in that text to a particular object chosen at random, or perhaps a famous painting. What I look for here, is the student to explore their understanding of a character and come up with imaginative links to that object or painting which tease out an aspect of that character's personality. It is also important to vary activities and resources, so I like to use highlighters for example, and other visual stimuli as aids to study.