Rich

My name is Rich and I am based in Oxford.

I have a passion for modern languages, and, also, for sharing my knowledge and enthusiasm with others.

My interest include literature, cinema, theatre, music, swimming and yoga.

Tutoring Experience

I completed a BA (Hons) degree in Russian studies, awarded from the University of Nottingham in 1995. During both my second and final years, a significant part of the academic content consisted of courses relating to French studies as subsidiary subjects. My final result was II(i) with a distinction awarded in spoken Russian.

I completed a secondary PGCE course in modern languages, also awarded by the University
of Nottingham in 1997.

In 2003 I completed a Cambridge CELTA certificate in teaching English as a second language
to adults, awarded by Oxford Brookes University.
I continue to study modern languages with enthusiasm. I also organise a Russian conversation evening in Oxford, which takes place once a month.

I worked uninterruptedly in schools from September, 1998 until December, 2002. During this period, two terms were spent working as a Learning Support Assistant at Frideswide Middle School in Oxford. The remainder of this period was spent teaching modern languages, along with various other subjects, in secondary schools, both mainstream and special needs.

In fact, one of the most interesting periods of employment took place between October, 2000 and December, 2001 when I was employed at Lansdowne School in Lambeth. This school caters for students with moderate learning difficulties. Although I mostly taught French during my four terms at this school, I was very grateful for additional opportunities to teach English, Life Skills, and religious education. As well as the academic aspects of my work, I was also
a Class Teacher at Lansdowne School, which provided valuable experience of addressing any pastoral care needs of students in my class and across the school in general.

My most recent full-time teaching position, at Saint Benedict Catholic School in Derby included an additional responsibility as subject coordinator for Russian, which meant
that I oversaw the production of a Year 9 SATs test, as well as many other similar resources.

I have been tutoring students individually since 1994, (initially teaching English as a foreign language on a voluntary basis when I was living in Saint Petersburg as a student of Russian).

In addition to my experience of teaching modern languages in secondary schools within the UK, I have also taught English as a foreign language to students of various ages in several languages schools; most of these were based in the UK, however, I also participated on a voluntary basis in schools in Poland and Russia, in 1990 and 1995 respectively.
From 2018 until 2020 I taught English as a foreign language on two evenings per month
to groups of adults on a voluntary basis. This was my first experience of teaching larger groups for a number of years, and these lessons served as an extremely valuable opportunities
to hone my presentation skills once again. In the spring of 2020, classroom-based lessons were no longer possible due to the pandemic; however, several volunteers, including myself, continued to deliver lessons via ‘Zoom’. Often, when working with larger groups, students were moved to breakout rooms so that they might work together in smaller groups.

Tutoring Approach

In August, 2020 I began to teach Russian to a Year 6 student. This tuition was arranged via Home-School Tutoring. The student in question was entirely home-schooled at this point,
and thereafter for a number of subsequent years. This was primarily due to the fact that he found experiences in school extremely stressful, which was a consequence, in part, of his Autism Spectrum Disorder. I felt very grateful and privileged for the opportunity of working with such a student, and I quickly learned that my approach to interacting with him would need to be tailored quite differently from that which would be effective with many mainstream students. His Russian studies with me, which comprised both language and Soviet history, continued until July 2022, at which point he completed Year 8. Meanwhile, when he was approaching the end of Year 6, in July, 2021, his mother asked me whether I might consider teaching him French as well. As a consequence, he and I worked on French language, two hours per week until December 2023. The following term he was enrolled into a virtual school, which meant that the services of his individual tutors such as myself were no longer needed.
In January, 2022 I began working with a second student online, who was in Year 9 in
a mainstream school. More recently, in January, 2024 I commenced in-person lessons with
a Year 5 student. Once again, I was put in contact with each of these students via Home-School Tutoring, and my work with each of these students is ongoing. The Year 5 student is on the autistic spectrum, and he has recently been diagnosed with ADHD. Despite the fact that he can, on occasion, display quite challenging behaviour, I feel that I have developed a very constructive working relationship with him, frequently incorporating the use of humour, and that he has been responding very positively to my approach. As it happens, both of his parents speak French, which means that there are frequent opportunities for all four of us to communicate in French when I am present in the home.

I have also been tutoring a mature student in French since 2005. She and I are currently working through a French novel, and I have noticed significant improvements over recent months in terms the breadth of her vocabulary, her pronunciation and her grammatical knowledge.

In terms of my teaching style, I am always eager to maximise use of the target language when teaching any language; equally, I am mindful of the importance, on occasion, of using English
to deliver instructions and explanations, so as to ensure clarity of understanding. I am extremely thorough in terms of planning and preparing lessons. In addition, my approach to continuity from one lesson to the next is highly meticulous. I have found that students often appreciate consistent attention to detail in this respect.

I believe passionately in expressing frequent praise to students, as well as the importance of ensuring that positive, encouraging statements significantly outnumber corrections, so as to ensure the fostering of a learning environment which is warm, safe and supportive at all times. It is also essential to provide consistent, thorough feedback to students. I have regularly set vocabulary tests, in both Russian and French; in this context, my regular practice would be to show the student the marked version of the test while working through any corrections in a positive, encouraging, and gentle manner.

I have also found that the use of humour can prove a highly effective means of lifting the mood of a session. In addition, the importance of ‘expecting the unexpected’ should not be underestimated; one student frequently responds to my lesson introductions with statements or questions which are not relevant to the topic of the lesson. I would argue that it is vitally important not to ignore such utterances or to be dismissive of them in any way. On the contrary, I would emphasise the importance viewing such situations as opportunities to communicate to students the fact that they have been heard and understood, especially those who are tutored at home on a full-time basis, which might mean that interaction with people outside of their immediate family is limited. Furthermore, there can be many benefits to finding out as much
as possible about what interests a student outside of the subject area; as a consequence, opportunities often arise to tailor resources in ways which are much more likely to enhance
the learning experience on the part of the student.

When working with young people on a regular basis, it is inevitable that a tutor will encounter occasional inappropriate comments, questions, or behaviour. I have learned in the course of my tutoring that gentle, but firm, reminders can help to steer a student back towards appropriate behaviour much more effectively than an authoritarian approach. It is essential,
of course, that boundaries are clearly illustrated, and, on occasion, reinforced while working together. In my experience, however, a relaxed, friendly, but businesslike manner has proved more beneficial than one which is repressive. I believe that my preference to communicate in
a congenial manner has enhanced my nurturing of students’ progress. Furthermore, such
a style of teaching is more likely to build a positive rapport and to earn the respect of learners, which would probably not be the case when employing methods which are overly strict.

Quite apart from academic progress, I am aware of the importance of communicating appropriate values to students. For example, when working through ‘Tintin’ books with the
Year 5 student, I have found that, as well as encouraging him to read and translate the text, I also regularly comment on the actions of the characters, which may display kindness or hostility,
so as to reinforce a sense of the importance of treating others with respect and decency.