I've worked successfully as a tutor for GCSE and A-Level students for a number of years now, helping them drastically improve their grades. I've also done considerable work as a university supervisor and mentor for undergraduate, master's, and first-year doctoral students at the University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, and other institutions. My approach is mainly trust based, my students are often amazed by just how much they can do for themselves if they're in a learning environment that isn't adversarial, oppressive, or plain dull. Beyond A-Level, I also have teaching experience at the University of Oxford as a tutor and seminar leader for undergraduate history and sociology students, and I have degrees in both Archaeology and History. My background of experience is technological, and I work as a civilian consultant to the NASA Ames Human Factors laboratory in that capacity. Central to my approach is an understanding that my students are people, with their own unique strengths, weaknesses, and abilities, which need to be nurtured and supported in order to get the best possible results.
In this way, learning can, and should be of a reciprocal exchange of ideas, and by embracing this in a more relaxed and curiosity-driven approach, it becomes far easier for many to explore, absorb, and abstract their understanding of both the surface learning of school qualifications, and the deep learning of the concepts behind them crucial to getting the very highest grades.
Over the past two years I have tutored students regularly in Latin, Ancient Greek, Classics, English Literature and Essay writing. I am familiar with the OCR syllabuses for Latin, Greek and Classics both at GCSE and A-level, and have developed my own resources designed to tackle set texts, unseen passages, translation from English into Latin/Greek and to reach the required level of grammatical understanding. I have also tutored a pupil for Latin IB, including the research dossier. During university, I took up Latin and Ancient Greek from scratch, so I can vividly understand the frustrations and difficulties which arise when learning Ancient languages. This has made me explore alternative methods of learning vocabulary and improving grammar through texts, rather than tables.
I have tutored pupils who need to gain top grades to take up their Oxbridge offers, and pupils struggling at school in need of extra support. As such, I develop my resources and teaching methods depending on the individual needs, aims and interests of the students. I am able to provide exam-style passages, vocabulary tests and writing tasks if desired.
During my final year of University, I volunteered in a local primary school on a programme called 'Literacy through Latin', teaching latin to a group of year six pupils, particularly those eligible for pupil premium. The project aims to use Latin to improve literacy, and so I developed latin games, exercises and creative projects. For this project I received training from the Kings College London education department.
In addition to these regular students, I have tutored pupils for competition essays, including those for the St John's College Oxford prize and the Mary Renault Prize, encouraging high-achieving pupils to think creatively and write fluently. I also have experience tutoring a mature graduate Psychology student in essay writing skills, helping them to improve their writing style ahead of a final dissertation.
45 yrs teaching to all levels in the UK and abroad. University lecturer in Ancient Greek and Religious Studies since 1990 with extensive experience supporting non-native students at undergraduate and post-graduate levels. Experienced secondary school teacher of languages and humanities, and examiner with several boards. Numerous teaching posts as a private tutor at Common Entrance, secondary and tertiary level (English, foreign languages and humanities), all leading to improved grades and exam success. As the primary carer of a child with special learning needs (Asperger's Syndrome and Dyslexia), I built a home-education programme at primary level, and taught/supervised the learning of key subjects up to GCSE and A level. My pupils have been of all ages, from nursery to retirement and feedback has been consistently and warmly positive.
I qualified from the University of Sussex in 2018 with a Distinction in Classics teacher training. During that year I taught at a secondary school and a sixth form college, teaching GSCE Latin and Classics, A level Classics, and running group revision/ review sessions for the students.
I have taught abroad in Namibia (2013 - 2014), and in China (Summer of 2016). During my time in China I was teaching at an English summer camp and I received my TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language).
Currently I am a full time PhD Ancient History researcher. I also work part time as a supply teacher for the local schools.
For the last couple of years I have done online tutoring on a range of websites, mainly introduction to Latin or Latin grammar revision, as well as a focus on helping students improve their essay writing techniques
– "Ancient Greek grammar", 10 hours face-to-face with an adult learner
– "Ancient Greek grammar" undergraduate level, 10 hours face-to-face and online with 1 student (revision of morphology, syntax, use of tools)
– "Ancient Greek literature", undergraduate level, 15 hours face-to-face and online with 1 student (revision of Homer's "Odyssey" bk. IX, the prologue from Euripides's "Bakchai" and ll. 203-450 from Euripides's "Cyclops"; translation with revision of grammar and literary analysis)
– "Latin grammar", undergraduate level, 10 hours face-to-face with 1 student (revision of morphology, syntax, reading of passages from Cicero, "Verrinae")
– "Latin grammar", primary school level, 50 hours (ongoing) face-to-face with 1 student ("Minimus", vol. 1 and 2; I, II and III declension, Indicative present and Imperfect, Imperative present, Basic adverbs, Prepositions and Conjunctions, Elements of Roman life and Roman History, Greek Mythology)
– "Maths", primary school level, 12 hours face-to-face with 1 student (basic arithmetic)