Lotta

I am a graduate from the University of Oxford and a native speaker of German. I was raised bilingual with English being my second mother tongue, and learned French from when I was six years old. I have a PhD in English literature, having previously completed an undergraduate degree in German and English literature and Linguistics in Germany, and a Master's in World Literatures in English at the University of Oxford. I am passionate about languages, literature, the arts and translation, and I love teaching languages and literature, and I am currently a teacher for German and French at Bedford School.

Tutoring Experience

I have been teaching German, French and EAL (English as an additional language) at Bedford School since September 2023. Before that, I have been teaching at Magdalen College School and Headington School in Oxford. I also taught German as a foreign language for the Ministry of Defence. During my PhD I have taught undergraduates at the University of York in English Literature and Translation Studies. I am also teaching French and Latin, and I have worked as a private tutor for many years, teaching German, English and Latin to primary and secondary school students as well as to university students. I have taught English as a foreign language to refugees and to exchange students, which really helped me to become an expert in English grammar and learning techniques.

Tutoring Approach

All my tutoring is tailored to the individual student's needs, and I will structure sessions and practice material individually to help students improve their skills and to excel in their chosen subject.
I am happy to do 1-to-1 teaching but I also offer group lessons at GCSE or A-Level, or for casual learners.

English and German as a foreign language: my approach is that language learning should be fun, efficient and useful. I am more than happy to take a grammar-based approach as well, if the student wishes that, or if there are certain areas that the student wants to improve - but generally, I try to make my lesson as practice based as possible, involving lots of speaking, by having conversations with the student and by asking the student to do little presentations on their chosen topics. In my opinion, languages give you the opportunity to explore a different perspective on the world, to get to know another culture, and they are learned in the best and most efficient way when students learn to overcome their initial hesitation and develop a confidence to speak and to have conversations.

English literature: through doing an undergraduate degree, a Master's degree and a PhD in English literature I have a lot of experience teaching students, either 1-to-1 or in small groups, and I know the expectations that schools and universities have of their students. My approach to tutoring is to strengthen the student's skills, to identify areas such as analytical skills, writing skills or others that the student wants to improve and to offer tailored exercises, advice and lots of material to practice these skills.