Johanna

I have a doctorate in English Literature, as well as a Bachelors and a Masters degree in Literature and Philosophy. I also have a Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education. My PhD focused on modern fiction and twentieth-century French philosophy. I currently teach on several undergraduate modules at university. I enjoy my research, and I have a closely related love of helping people to enjoy thinking, talking and writing about literature. I have been tutoring continuously for 19 years, and before teaching at university I held a variety of other professional roles - in publishing and social policy among others. I have a wide range of interests. I have a passion for the arts and I also love cinema, travel and cooking.

I divide my time between London and the Brighton and Hove area. Feedback from my previous tutees can also be viewed on my NW6 First Tutors profile.

Tutoring Experience

I have been tutoring successfully, and continuously for 19 years. My students have excelled in their English exams, attaining 100%s in A-Level modules, Pre-U exams, and level 9s (A*s) in English Literature and Language GCSEs. The students I work with see dramatic grade improvements (from predicted grades and sometimes in re-sits) and attain places to study Literature and other degree subjects at top universities, including Oxbridge, Russell Group universities, and Ivy League universities in the US.

I have a love of literature and a deep and broad knowledge of my subject. I teach all the most popular exam boards and specifications, including AQA, Edexcel, iGCSE, CIE and OCR. I have taught school-aged students from 11 to 18 years old, both in one-to-ones and small-group and class arrangements, and I have worked with undergraduates, postgraduates and adult learners and foreign-language students.

I work closely with students on university applications, assisting them with their UCAS statements and personal essays. I have tutored medical applicants, working towards their BMATs, and university students working on their PhD proposals.

I have four years experience of university teaching, during which time I have taught advanced study skills and undergraduate literature modules on subjects such as modernism and literary theory.

Tutoring Approach

My tutoring approach is centred on helping students to improve their vocabulary, analytical skills and essay writing abilities, to contextualise their studies and to develop their confidence in interpretation. Confidence, literary knowledge and a strong critical vocabulary are essential to academic success, and I aim to foster an interest in language and literature and to encourage students to see the challenges of their subject as both enjoyable and manageable. I always focus closely on essay planning; I teach exam technique, study skills and coursework preparation and revision practice (both in the summer and through the prior academic year) for students commencing GCSEs, A-Level and Pre-U courses and university programmes.

Strong communication and trust are at the core of my teaching practice. Literary skills are, I believe, honed through interesting conversation, which I aim to develop in my lessons. Tuition often - although, of course, not always - involves a degree of mentoring; and this is an aspect of my work which I value greatly. Listening to students and helping them to express themselves is a vital part of helping them to learn. Similarly, I find that sharing my enthusiasm for literature and the arts enhances the tuition experience both for me and for learners.