Simon

I am a final year PhD Candidate studying Creative Writing at Keele University having completed both my Bachelor's degree and my Master's degree there. Having now studied the English language, and its application in literature, to the highest possible level, I am well positioned to assist those at an earlier stage of their academic careers. I am an aspiring author and would also relish the opportunity to lecture in Creative Writing upon the completion of my degree as helping to shape the creative works of others is something about which I am truly passionate.

Tutoring Experience

I have been a tutor for over five years during which time I have worked on tutoring websites and as an independent tutor. During this time, I have tutored students of a variety of ages and have worked with students to prepare for 11-Plus exams, GCSEs, and A-Levels. Alongside this, as part of my PhD course, I have conducted sessional tutoring in which I have taught a class of second year university students.

Tutoring Approach

As it is something that is often overlooked at schools, the area on which I focus most is planning. I help students to engage with texts and to think about the choices the writers have made and why they may have made them. I compliment this with detailed resources that show students how to frame their insights with relevant, academic language that helps their essays stand out. The main focus of our sessions is on transforming a student’s initial insights and deeper thoughts into a well structured plan. We do this by looking at a variety of engaging pieces of prose, poetry, drama, and non-fiction to ensure no area is unfamiliar to the students. I encourage students to follow their instincts and pick out parts of the text that they find interesting while I assist them on finding the language to describe what they are already noticing.

Planning is critical in English as the better the plan, the easier the essay is to write. I de-mystify the subject by demonstrating the language needed to ensure high marks and the techniques that will allow for the creation of a thoughtful essay. Contrary to belief, there are set patterns and formulae that can be employed in English to achieve a consistently high standard of essay. This allows students to handle unseen texts with confidence and translate their notes on seen texts to detailed, comprehensive essays.

Another element that is often undertaught is the art of creative writing. As I am only a few months away from being a Doctor of Creative Writing, the teaching of this is a particular strength of mine. Creative writing is a common component of exam papers and is often a roadblock to the higher grades and I work with students to make this aspect significantly less daunting. This is, once again, achieved through a blend of confidence building work and careful planning to ensure that the student is prepared for whatever appears in the exams.

Beyond exam preparation though, I also work with students to ensure that they remain engaged and interested in the subject and learning as a whole. I am not afraid to introduce advanced concepts to students who are ready to engage with them and also work to build a student's base of knowledge so that they can better understand the world into which texts were produced. Rather than relying on set stock phrases for historical context, I find that students do better with a deeper understanding of the world and this understanding allows them to draw deeper inferences from the texts that not only enhances their overall grades, but can also keep them engaging with texts that they may otherwise find tedious.