Information About Jacinta - Cork tutor

Personal Description:

I have a Primary Teaching degree (Hibernia College Dublin) and a double honors degree in Applied Psychology (U.C.C.). I also have qualifications in Montessori and TEFL. I lived in Berlin, Germany for 11 years and then in Seville, Spain for the last 18 years, where I have been teaching in Primary schools and in academies. I speak both German and Spanish fluently. I feel reading is a very important life skill. Younger children are learning to read, however older children are reading to learn. It is very important that children use efficient reading strategies from the start so that later they can glean information from texts effordlessly, which is a great advantage in any exam setting in later years.

Tutoring Experience:

Most of my experience has been in the Primary school setting, working in International schools abroad, using British curriculum which is almost identical to the Irish curriculum. I also have experince teaching at second level and teaching English as a second language to both adults and children in various academies in Seville. As I did my teaching degree fairly recently (2012) I am also obviously very familiar with the Irish curriculum and keep constantly abreast with new developments in education. My son is presently studying for the Leaving Certificate here in Cork. Apart from loving languages, including Gaeilge, I also have specialized in teaching phonics and reading skills to young learners.

Approach to Grinds:

My approach is individualized and child/student centered and when apropriate exam focussed. Therefore, if you need help with oral German, for example, we will do lots of speaking and listening and begin practicing and preparing according to the format of the oral exam for the Leaving Certificate.
If your child needs help with English reading in primary, I will do an initial reading and perhaps phonic assessment and then decide what specific help he or she needs. Subsequently I will design a support program to address the individual needs your child has.
With younger children, I usually use a Whole Brain Teaching approach and multi-sensory methods as far as it is possible. I will enable each student to identify his or her preferred learning style to ensure that no time is lost and that each student developes his or her potential. Older students often have to learn how to study independently and I will encourage a gradual release of dependancy (on the tutor). In this way students develope confidence in their own capabilities, become more intrinsically motivated and be enabled to monitor and evaluate their own progress.