Natasha

I have been teaching for 9 years after finishing my masters in English Language Teaching last May (2013) and I enjoy working with both adults and children. I have worked in various primary schools in and around Coventry so I am confident about improving children's reading and writing skills as well as their overall literacy levels. I am a qualified EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teacher and have worked in various institutions teaching a range of levels from Elementary to Advanced. Also I have a thorough understanding of the IELTS and Cambridge exams as I have helped previous students prepare for them.

Tutoring Experience

I am currently working as a GCSE English Language Teacher at Coventry College, which entails preparing and delivering the course based on the AQA specification and what will be expected of the student in the exam. As I am teaching 16-19 year olds, my role also entails ensuring safeguarding issues are dealt with appropriately, engaging the students with a variety of activities, as well as creating a fun and safe learning environment for them.
Previously, I was a University preparation teacher at EF Language school in Oxford which involved training the students in the necessary academic skills in order to survive at University, thus making their life easier in the future. Moreover, part of my role included ensuring that the students had a sufficient understanding of the British University system and were aware of what would be expected of them at University. Furthermore, the students were expected to prepare for and pass the IELTS exam as part of their University requirements, consequently part of my responsibilities was to guide and prepare the students to complete the exam successfully.
My previous position was as a GCSE English Language teacher at South and City College in Birmingham which involved preparing the students to take their examination, ensuring that they had completed coursework and understood what is required from them to pass the course. My previous position was as an EFL/ESOL sessional lecturer at Henley College, where I also taught GCSE and Functional Skills English. My role at Henley was similar to that of South and City, however it presented different challenges as I was expected to collaborate with 3 different departments, teach across the college and to students who were all studying various vocational courses.
I finished my Masters in May 2013 and am a qualified TEFL (Teach English as a Foreign Language abroad) teacher as my Undergraduate course was Spanish and TEFL with study abroad. Due to the practical nature of my Undergraduate course I was able to gain teaching experience not only by teaching some of the Business and General English classes at Coventry, but as part of my assessment I was required to teach at the refugee centre in Coventry city centre. In addition to my understanding of teaching in an English setting at Higher Education level, I have experience of teaching abroad as I was a teaching assistant in some of the English classes while studying at Valencia University and during my A Levels I did a work experience exchange with a French Sixth form which involved working at a Primary School for a week. For example, during my time as a classroom assistant in the English classes at Valencia University I would collaborate with the teacher and help them by taking individual students for one to one tuition and speaking practice as well as working with the class as a whole by providing examples when required to do so and even teaching a session myself due to the lecturer being ill.
In terms of teaching at Primary school level as well as having taken part in work experience in a Primary School in France I was a volunteer in the ‘Right to read’ scheme at Saint Mary and Saint Benedict’s RC Primary School in Coventry which comprised of supporting a Year 6 girl by listening to her read every week, helping with her overall literacy and spelling level. Also, throughout my final year at University, on a once weekly basis I would go to All Souls RC Primary School Coventry and spent 6 weeks with each year group from Nursery to Year 6 which gave me a real insight into what life as Primary school teacher is like. My duties during this placement involved assisting the teachers in their day to day tasks such as supporting the lower ability group in lessons, taking groups or individuals out of class for reading or spelling and could even range to helping set up parents evening, teaching the MFL classes in years 4-6 and giving input on the school Nativity and Easter plays. Similarly, I completed a once weekly placement with Year 1 at Saint John Vianney RC Primary school Coventry and would help the class teacher with whatever activities that she had planned to do in class that day, which could range from ICT to Maths or even phonics and high frequency word recognition tests.
As well as preparing me practically for teaching both my Undergraduate and Postgraduate degrees have prepared me for teaching, as they have introduced me to the theoretical underpinnings of language teaching and given me a chance to gain some training in lesson planning, syllabus and materials writing skills. Moreover, in both of my degrees there was a module that dealt with Computer Assisted Language learning and using technology in the classroom which even involved me creating my own language learning website, therefore I am comfortable around technology and like to integrate it into my classroom. What is more, having studied two languages myself I can empathise with learners and my own beliefs about teaching have steamed from this which is why I like my classes to be interactive, student centred and related to their interests as much as possible while covering the content dictated by the syllabus.
Moreover, I have always wanted to be a teacher for as long as I can remember and love working with children because not only does it humble me to think that I have taught them something but in my opinion ensuring that the future generations get a good education is vital, especially in this globalized world where learning a language is necessary. Throughout all of my placements I have enjoyed building up a rapport with the students and becoming part of their learning support network and someone other than their teacher that they can turn to when they need help with their schoolwork.

Tutoring Approach

Individualistic and student centred