Robert

Career Objective
I have enjoyed teaching History for over 40 years through many years of turbulent change in the state school system. I was Head of History in two schools and a GCSE examiner for two years. I have been tutoring A Level and GCSE History for 7 years and students and parents have been pleased with the improvement in grades after I have enhanced the learning from the school with strategies to improve understanding of key issues and also how to apply them to exam questions. I am always honest with students and ask them what units they are studying. If I have not taught the units I will tell them very quickly so as not to waste their time getting the right tutor for them to succeed.

Tutoring Experience

I have a passion for my subject which I have always tried to impart to my students of all levels and this was reflected in consistently good exam grades at GCSE and A Level as well as a strong uptake at option times from students in Key stage 3. This was all possible because of a tight knit highly motivated History department who shared skills, knowledge and experiences at Boston Spa School and DeLacy Academy.
I have been retired for 5 years but continue to teach History as I believe I still have a lot of knowledge, experience and enthusiasm to pass onto students taking all levels of History, which will enhance their understanding of the subject and ultimately enhance their chances of exam success. After completing topics I always find past paper questions and then plan how to answer them in a way that will access the top levels of achievement in the mark schemes set by the exam boards. British (Tudors and Stuarts plus 19th and 20th Century), Russian, French and German History at A Level. A wide range of experience at GCSE - Health, Crime and Punishment, Germany, Russia, Cold War, USA History, Tudors and Stuarts, Ireland and China.

Tutoring Approach

I began private tutoring with children of my friends who were struggling in preparation for their exams. I covered a lot of topics that they had already covered but reinforced their learning and understanding and then applied these skills by going through exam questions and what was being asked in the questions. I was keen for these students to gain confidence and believe they could succeed at all levels of History and throughout my career I have endeavoured to make History interesting, fun and accessible whether it be 1;1 or in a classroom situation. I use a variety of techniques to enhance understanding of the topics being studied and plan how to approach A level questions and assessments. I also work with students to improve their exam technique, making sure they know how to decode the question and prepare a relevant and analytical answer. In addition I work with students on managing their time responding to exam style questions and make sure they know how to hit level 4 and 5 from the examiners markscheme.