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Rhiannon
Oxford University - BA English & Spanish
I hold a degree in Spanish and English from The Queen's College at the University of Oxford. My teaching philosophy is deeply influenced by my personal academic journey, emphasizing the critical importance of the dynamic relationship between teacher and student. I believe that the foundation of comprehension and learning is built upon this interaction, fostering an environment where knowledge is not just transmitted but co-created and explored together.
Teaches:ELATOxbridgeSpanishMLATEnglish
Curriculum:IBA-LevelAdmissions
Hire a tutorQualifications
Oxford University: BA English & Spanish (2018-2022)
A-Level:Qualified Online Tutor (English and English Literature)
GCSE/IGCSE:Qualified Online Tutor (English, Spanish and English Literature)
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Tutoring Experience
I've tutored both formally and informally for three years, including an entire year of teaching as an English Language Assistant in Seville, Spain, from 2020-21.
This role involved the preparation of educational content for Maths, English, Biology and Physical Education, the majority of which I curated myself using Microsoft Power-point.
Teaching large groups of students as well as one-to-one sessions allowed me to adjust and improve my sensitivity to the needs of individual students, cultivating a productive teacher-student dynamic and building mutual trust in order to establish a setting where each student felt comfortable contributing and communicating their difficulties with a particular topic.
Before this, I tutored online through a private company, focusing particularly on teaching analytical techniques for approaching unseen texts within secondary school admissions tests. I also delivered weekly voluntary English lessons to a seven-year-old Spanish girl whose family had recently moved to the UK.
By the end of our time together, her level of speaking and English grammar had improved to such a degree that she no longer required teaching support from the charity. I find one-to-one tutoring the most enjoyable, as it allows me to properly adjust my lessons and teaching style to suit a particular student's needs.
Tutoring Approach
Regardless of the given subject, I usually begin with an introductory session to set a plan that fits the pace and working style of each student, as well as to talk in greater detail about the particular topics they are seeking help with.
Depending on the learning scope, we will also decide on a long-term goal (or a number of them) to work towards, so that a real sense of progress can be established throughout the teaching period.
After the first session, I tend to spend time plotting a roadmap of teaching in accordance with what we've discussed, which I will then go over in the next session and adjust as needed.
Spanish MLAT: For success in the MLAT, grammar is king, so each tutorial centres upon a particular grammar topic (especially those which cause the most difficulty: when to use the preterite/imperfect, the present and imperfect subjunctive, conditional sentence constructions, irregular verb endings, etc.). I set follow-up exercises to be mastered via my own Quizlet sets for the next session, as well as past-paper tests to establish progression. At first, collaboratively tackling a past paper allows us to talk through methods of approach and thought patterns around particular grammar points, which can then be referred back to and adjusted in grammar teaching sessions. Later, I ask the student to complete past papers in their own time, so we can then go through the paper together in the following session, highlighting weak points to focus on next as well as progress in previous areas of difficulty. These resources and learning methods have worked reliably in my personal grammar practice throughout the degree, so I can confidently structure the learning style of my students based on the approach that has paid dividends in my own experience.
English ELAT: The ELAT is less formulaic than most admissions tests, and requires lateral thinking; it’s not about how much you already know, or simply how much you can get down on the page in the given time. Tutoring sessions therefore centre on running through past papers, and talking in depth about how best to approach a constellation of unseen texts. Honing the technique of spotting patterns and picking out points of interest to thread between passages is something best learned through a conversational style of teaching, allowing students to gain confidence in their own analytical skills and then translate that confidence into their writing. I set and mark mock exams, as well as providing example responses to past papers, which are then integrated into subsequent teaching sessions to review and improve both the student’s analytical technique and their writing style (both are of importance).
Spanish A level / GCSE / 11+: After a preliminary discussion, I create a plan of teaching centring upon areas of particular difficulty. Each tutorial initially focuses on an individual topic (e.g. the imperfect tense; the IRP), but depending on the student’s progress, grammar is later integrated into other topics; from my own experience, grammar is better learnt with context. Past papers are periodically set to check progression and highlight areas to work on.
English Literature A level / GCSE / 11+: Similarly, I establish the main areas of focus for the individual student, and divide tutorials accordingly. From my own experience, trouble with this subject in general most often stems from a lack of confidence or interest in the set texts, so strong and collaborative discussion of the works in question is paramount throughout teaching. Along with this, we discuss and develop easy techniques for mastering the demands of the mark scheme when writing: for example, personal checklists developed in line with exam assessment objectives, and the incorporation of memorised discourse markers to close and end paragraphs, keeping essays well-structured and focused on the given question. The style of my teaching (i.e. more discursive or more strictly methodological) is dictated by the temperament of the particular student; some find a more precise, tick-box approach useful to break down the analytical demands of complex literature, whereas others thrive on a more creative and original mode of interaction with set texts that equally pays dividends in an exam setting.
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