Michelle

FULLY BOOKED FOR ONE TO ONE/SPACES ON A-LEVEL LITERATURE GROUPS AVAILABLE ONLY

I am a PGCE-qualified English language, literature and ESOL teacher and examiner with twelve years of teaching experience. I have a B.A. (Hons.) degree in English Language and Literature for which I won a 2:1, and am also a registered examiner with OCR, CIE (Cambridge International Examinations) and the IB (International Baccalaureate).

I have an enhanced, current DBS clearance.

I decided to stop working in schools seven years ago in order to concentrate full-time on my tutoring business which I now do full-time. I live in Leighton Buzzard, South Beds., and I am 39 years old, married and have two small daughters.

I specialise in teaching English Language and Literature at GCSE (including international GCSE's), A-Level and university level. I offer no other subjects-firstly because English is my interest and passion, and, secondly, because keeping abreast of all the texts and wider reading required at KS4 (GCSE) and especially KS5 (A-Level) is a full time job in itself. I spend hours reading a week, but, thankfully, I have always been a 'reader' and, thus, I enjoy it and will always find the study of literature a fascinating joy.

I also teach ESOL either casually, or towards a formally-recognised qualification.

My sessions run from Mondays to Thursdays: daytimes and evenings.

I can also teach either pairs or trios of students.

Tutoring Experience

In my last teaching position, I was Head of English responsible for an English department of five teachers, offering GCSE's and the IB to approximately five hundred students.

The private students I have taught have attended a variety of schools and colleges in Bedfordshire, Luton, Dunstable, Milton Keynes, Hemel Hempsted and Aylesbury including Cedars, Van Dyke, Gilbert Inglefield, Milton Keynes College, Aylesbury High, Sir Henry Floyd, Tring School, Bedford High, Webber Independent, Manshead, Redborne Upper, St. Columbas, Ousedale, Kimberley College, Parmiters, Wallington County Grammar, Godalming Colege.

I have also had many international students I teach online from all over the world; in particular, the Middle East and Asia.

Tutoring Approach

I love English language and literature, and see absolutely no reason why learning these disciplines should be boring, even in the context of exam preparation. Reading and writing are not subjects to me; they are a necessary, vital and hugely enjoyable part of everyday life.

The first session with your son or daughter is an assessment session which allows me to ascertain where they currently stand with regards to reading and writing ability. English skills are not something that can be mastered in one session, and for this reason, I revisit and revise skills that are lacking session to session.

If support with school/college coursework or homework is needed, we will focus on that in sessions too. I provide all learning resources apart from stationery.

I offer sessions of duration of an hour minumum, increasing in half-hourly hour increments for anything up to three hours (i.e. a session of an hour and a half could be catered for).

I can either be your child's primary English teacher, or serve as an adjunct to the English teaching they are currently receiving in school, college or home-education.

I have very high standards for myself and my students, whatever their current capability and achievement level might be. I take preparation for public examinations very seriously-particularly with regards to GCSE English Language which is a core qualification. I am accustomed to supporting those students who are retaking this exam for the second or third time.

Many of my previous students have had a SEN (special educational need)-particularly dyslexia (including severe dyslexia) and working memory problems-and I incorporate learning aids into my sessions with these students to support them as fully as I can (e.g. mnemonics).

Whether your son or daughter is high-achieving in the subject and looking for a final push into a top grade or someone who is struggling, I am on their side and will go above and beyond for them.

I am experienced in teaching English Language and English Literature for all boards (AQA, OCR, WJEC, Edexcel, CIE, IB), all tiers (e.g. Core/Extended) and specs (i.e. Spec A or Spec B) at GCSE, iGCSE, AS (for those schools/colleges which opt in) and A-Level.

I am also very familiar with preparing ESOL learners for the IELTS, TOEFL,Trinity and the CAE.

I have a keen sense of differentiation which means that whether it is moving students from a 'D' to a 'C' grade (or '3' to '4' for GCSE's), or pushing a student from an 'A' to an 'A* (7-8/9: GCSE)', I can break down to the student exactly what it is they need to do in order to cross the relevant grade boundary because of my knowledge of assessment objectives and the subtle nuances required for a student to make changes and move from one band to the next.

An intimidating examination essay question that a student is convinced he/she has no hope of answering can be approached systematically, with guidance from myself, so that a student can always gain some marks at least.

I believe that thorough knowledge of assessment criteria is a must-both for myself and my student. Unless a student knows what is required of them to win an 'A*' or a 'C', or a '4' or a '9', how will they achieve it? My preparing students for exams is focused on these assessment criteria which, because of my constant reiteration of it, is internalised by students who begin to understand how to structure essay paragraphs with regards to the required AO elements.

With regards to all English qualifications, I believe two key skills-often neglected-is effective planning and self-editing when writing any kind of text-be it creative (narrative/descriptive-writing) or analytical (essay-writing). I have a wealth of resources, created by myself, which assist my students in honing these vital elements of the writing process.

Another skill that students also quite often need support with is analysis, particularly when writing 'Explanation'/'Analysis' sentences in language or literature analysis paragraphs. Improving this can lead to a significant jump in marks (for AO2).

I care deeply about all my students and do my utmost, through a caring, gentle approach and a sense of humour, to ensure that as soon as possible, students are relaxed in my company, they know that I am on their side and they trust me enough to feel comfortable to ask me what they might feel are 'stupid' questions.

Don't worry if your son or daughter seems reluctant about tutoring. I have had many a student come through my front door dragging their feet and sulking at first-and they have all come around within a session or two!

N.B. If your student is Yr 9/10/11 and not following a dual pathway whereby they will be taking GCSE Lit. or Lang. at the end of Yr 10, I strongly recommend sessions of an hour and a half or two hours-because the syllabi for Lit. are now so content-heavy.

For A-Level students, I recommend sessions of an hour and a half minumum, as this allows the student and I time to consider essay questions, for example, in far more depth. Just planning an essay, at the early stages, can take up to an hour, when taking into account the need to (depending on exam board) refer to context, literary criticism and, perhaps, genre.

For iGCSE or A-Level students who need support with coursework/independent projects, I have much experience assisting students with these as well.