Will

I am a friendly and professional individual who is extremely adaptable and has a good sense of humour. I am understanding of the frustrations learners can face and like to focus on the positives and a path forward rather than dwelling on negative past experiences. I enjoy deviating from a set plan if needed and am very happy to adapt and tailor learning experiences to individual learners and change direction as we go in order to best meet their needs and goals.

Tutoring Experience

I was a Learning Support Assistant and Progress Coach in an inner city secondary school for five years where I learnt a great deal about different approaches to learning as well as curriculum content. I then taught English in a language school in Poland for a year and developed a strong understanding of linguistics. Around this time I was learning Spanish and this consolidated my knowledge of language patterns. After an alternative career in university administration, I trained as a primary school teacher and taught a Year 6 class for a year, and have excellent knowledge of SATS content and the Key Stage 2 curriculum. I then became an SEND Teacher in secondary schools and have devised adapted curricula for English, Maths, History and Geography, as well as teaching in specialist units for autistic students. I also have experience of developing specialised interventions for students with dyslexia. I am about to start a new non-teaching position in a secondary school where I will be advising teachers on how to meet learning needs and running intervention classes.

Tutoring Approach

I like to embed core literacy and grammar skills into more meaningful reading comprehension tasks, as I have found teaching grammar and literacy as standalone subjects does not always translate into students applying these skills independently. I also use pictures as a basis for inference and questioning before introducing a text to build confidence in those who find longer texts daunting. In terms of Maths, I try to link the subject matter to applicable real-life situations. I also provide worked examples in the early stages of a topic but remove these as confidence grows. In all lessons, the first task is a recap of prior learning to help embed this into longer term memory and make connections with new learning.