Sasha J.

I am a UK-qualified teacher with a PGCE and separate master's degree in addition. I've been teaching in a variety of roles for over 15 years, including many one-to-one students across three countries. Stemming from my CELTA language teaching qualification, I use a communicative teaching approach where I focus very much on consistently using questioning techniques to actively check my students' needs and understanding. I also find using the curiosity, interests and ambitions of my students as a way in the key to good teaching. My teaching philosophy is encapsulated by an expectation of hard work and thinking deeply. When doing this with my guidance, my students can expect of me somebody who makes the effort to understand their needs and ambitions and uses a personalised approach to help them thrive. One way I do this is by focusing on asking and discussing and sharing my expertise based on that student's level and personality to make sure it helps them make progress. I lived and taught in China and Japan and have conducted research and training for teachers in the specific needs of English-language learners from these two countries and east-Asia more generally. I have coordinated and run subject departments, so I have an excellent overview of how sequences of learning fit together. I completed much of this in a well-known British boarding school, as well as an international school also based in the UK. I've been a professional examiner for A-levels and a sixth form tutor, meaning I have assisted many students with the admissions process in the UK. Many of these pupils have gone on to Russell Group universities for subjects as diverse as business and administration, geography and Italian with art history.

I am particularly skilled at coaching people to achieve their best, with several pupils achieving A grades in theory of knowledge and the A-level philosophy section of the OCR religious studies course. I'm often proudest of helping those with the determination but biggest mountains to climb achieve their ambitions - one such pupil going up four grades for their IGCSE by the end of the course. My understanding of their cultural knowledge gaps and how to support their essay-writing as a mainland Chinese student really helped. I am particularly skilled at helping my students develop their critical thinking skills, both through essay-writing skills and spoken skills, having achieved a certificate from the Chartered College of Teaching for my research into using speaking and collaborative work in developing ideas.

I believe my cross-cultural experience and love of learning languages and about different cultures has been invaluable in this. Above all, I am often known as the patient, calm and academic teacher wherever I work.