Neil

I am a fully qualified secondary English teacher working in Cambridge. I have been teaching since I left university and have a wide range of experience - from teaching English as a foreign language in Spain to teaching secondary school here in the UK. My aim is to eventually teach at university level but I am very much enjoying teaching secondary at the moment and seeing how all age ranges respond to literature and language. When I am not teaching, I am also a writer and musician, both of which add to and enhance my teaching in that they inform much of the written and performative practices of teaching English.

Tutoring Experience

Secondary school teaching in the UK - public sector - 4 years
Teaching English as a foreign language - Spain - 3 years

Tutoring Approach

In general, I adhere to Rosenshine's principles of instruction which are as follows:

1. Begin lesson with short review of previous knowledge
2. Present new material in short steps with guided student practice
3. Regularly assess student retainment of knowledge
4. Provide models for writing
5. Guide student writing
6. Obtain a high success rate
7. Provide scaffolding for difficult tasks
8. Monitor independent practice
9. Have weekly and monthly reviews
10. Each lesson must contain three points of assessment of student understanding

This approach ensures student retainment of knowledge and a steady trajectory upwards in terms of the comprehension of the material and the development of their own writing skills.