I am a fully qualified English, History and Classics Studies teacher. I have three years of experience teaching, two as a PME and one as an NQT. I have also given English grinds for both JC and LC. I hold a degree in History and Ancient Classics, a higher diploma in English, a master’s in Military History, and a master’s in Education. My goal with both students and grinds students is to get the best result and to build their confidence. I like to look at the big picture. If a student doesn’t need my subject for points, then I have no problem telling them to drop a level and use that time on the subjects that they are counting. I would still argue you should try to keep English at a higher level, as we use it so much in life. * Collaborative planning: First, I like to talk to the student and the parent and decide what they want to get out of these lessons. Is it simply a higher grade, or is there an aspect of the course they really need help with? Once these questions are addressed, I plan the lessons with the student and the parent. This way, the student is a part of the process, and they are empowered and learning stuff they pick. * Strong focus on exam questions: As said before, I look at the big picture, which is often the exams. For me, exam questions are the best way to study and get better at a subject. I would usually structure a lesson around an exam question. For example, if I were doing a personal essay lesson, the first part of the lesson would look at the style of a personal essay (the DNA of it), and then I would give some examples. After this is done, I would show the student the question they are going to do, and we would discuss it first and plan it out. They would then do it and send it back to me through email, and I would correct it and send it back with comments. * Strong focus on building confidence: This is done through answering questions and giving constructive feedback, and when there are issues, showing the student how to improve through sample answers and notes. A key point here is that for this to work, the student must want these lessons; they have to be willing to work.
