Our tutors - Charlee W-B

Charlee, English Language and Literature - University of Oxford

Hello, I'm Charlee and I'm a recent Oxford graduate turned student teacher! I studied at Worcester College for three years and left with a BA (2:1) in English Language and Literature, specialising in the history of the English language and an understanding of medieval literature. I have always admired the study of English, before university I was fortunate to achieve A-Level results that would support my further studies: English Literature (A*), English Language (A*), and Biology (A). At Oxford, when I wasn't essay writing, I took great pride in getting involved in the student community, and this is what led to me becoming Welfare Rep for my college in my second year. During that role I undertook over 24 hours of peer support training, and learnt through experience how to refine my active listening skills to better understand and support those around me.

This skill become useful later on as I started a full-time graduate teacher role at an independent boarding school in Sussex, where I taught three KS3 classes and became a pastoral tutor to a set of sixth form students. My practical and theoretical training in teaching over that year was a fantastic opportunity, and one that allowed me to deepen my subject knowledge and develop my pedagogical skill. I was also fortunate to work with my school's Learning Support department, and had continued 1:1 sessions with students who had additional learning requirements and SEND requirements - this has been fundamental in adapting my teaching style to the individual needs of each student.

As for now, I'm settling in to start my Secondary English PGCE at University of Sussex to earn further qualifications and get back in the classroom. My style of tutoring takes into account all of my experiences, from being a student myself to my career as a teacher. I believe I have gathered a strong insight into different styles of teaching and learning, and as a result of this my lessons follow an adaptive but supportive approach: assessing capability and understanding; identifying key areas for improvement; and guided and independent practice to foster the best academic outcome. My hope for all of my students is that they leave each lesson with a greater confidence in their own abilities, and the added bonus of knowing a bit more about English!