Phillip

Former 6th form college teacher for 18 years; left teaching in 2023 and now tutoring. Subject specialism is English; specialise in GCSE English Language resit, A-level Language and Literature, A-level Literature and, to a lesser degree, A-Level Language.

Also a published short-story author, editor, and writing coach.

Tutoring Experience

18 years teaching English, Drama, Media, and others, in 6th form 2005-2023.
Extensive experience of working with learners with ALN and SEND in the classroom.
Growing experience of working with ALN and SEND learners one to one.

Tutoring Approach

All student-focused. Start by exploring with learners what their strengths and weaknesses are and put them at ease about the process of improvement.
My particular focus is on developing essay technique for quick grade improvement.
In general, students who are not achieving grades in line with their level of understanding are usually doing one or more of three things:
1) not using enough quotations to support their points
2) not explaining what their quotations mean before talking about their effects
3) not linking their points to one another and to the question the paper is asking
I use simple essay planning techniques along with exercises in quotation selection and my own paragraph template to make sure that any analysis question can be answered with sufficient clarity, detail and depth to climb the mark scheme. I also use templates to deliver conventional structures for creative fiction writing and non-fiction writing, as well as exercises to develop language techniques for both.

For online tutorials I currently use MS Teams, in which I will co-edit a live word document with a tutee to see what they are writing in real time, and offer corrections and examples as appropriate.

In the longer term:

I'll look at individual strengths and areas for improvement.
I'll look to identify any gaps in subject knowledge (concepts/terms/skills) and, where they exist, remedy them.
I'll look for any indicators of previously unidentified additional learning needs that might be useful to discuss with a school or college for support or extra time.
I'll set out tailored approaches to different questions in exam papers.
I'll work through a cycle of practice/review/refine.
Where appropriate, I'll mark agreed work to assess improvement.