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Information About Ashleigh:

Personal Description:

I am a qualified teacher with 15 years experience in Primary schools and as a private tutor offering individual lessons for children who need extra support with basic literacy. I have recently extended my work to include mathematics, as I am astonished by the lack of imagination and depth embodied in the National Curriculum and believe it is disempowering our children on an industrial scale. I use a variety of personally tailored strategies, with a realistic phonetic approach to reading and and writing that doesn't over-simplify the English language yet gives children the understanding they need to make progress at all levels both in and out of school. I have a range of practical mathematical and scientific resources that give children a chance to explore and develop conceptual understanding. I can help them to enjoy and take control of their own learning, encouraging success without being afraid to look at mistakes and put them right. I also offer individual DRUM KIT tuition, MUSICAL INSTRUMENT MAKING and playing workshops, NURSERY CLASS MUSIC sessions, and one-to-one INTERACTIVE MUSIC for adults with learning disabilities - please contact me for more information.

Teaching Experience:

After taking my degree - BSc. Engineering and Humanities, Queen Mary College, London - I worked for 6 years as a Learning Support Assistant, specialising in helping children of all abilities who had missed out on learning to read in the school system. I worked with children who had 'slipped through the net' and become frustrated and negative for many different reasons, often from lack of continuity in teaching, through not having their work properly corrected or because of needs that had not been addressed. Many were bright but at risk of becoming under-achievers through lack of inspiration. I went on to take a Postgraduate Certificate of Education at Goldsmiths College, London, and since then have worked as a part-time visiting tutor as well as following my career as a musician and artist.

Tutoring Approach:

I start with an assessment session, using word lists and graded texts to discover a child's present level of reading ability. With younger children I make an alphabet chart with word and pictures. They think of the words to use and we talk about the different sounds that the letters can make. We look at the difference between the vowels: a - e - i - o - u (and y) and the consonants, and at how sounds can be blended together, not forgetting that some words do not obey the 'rules'. I move on to a set of games and books to give practice at finding and remembering these sounds and patterns in words, and then we use them to write sentences which we cut up and rearrange to practice and reinforce both reading and writing skills. In this way the children are given challenges that they can succeed at, in stages of growing difficulty and at their own pace. Punctuation and grammar are introduced, as they are needed, to make the meaning clearer to the reader. I always aim to answer a child's questions and encourage them to use their curiosity. I do not aim to coach for exams, though I can offer support here in particular cases, as I believe that a target-based approach to learning is not essentially constructive. I offer nominally shorter sessions for families on a budget and try to keep the cost such that I could afford it myself. I am also keen to work for exchange of resources where possible.

Qualifications:

• 10 'O' Levels including English Language and Literature, 'A' Level Maths, Physics and Economics
• BSc. Engineering & Humanities including Linguistics. Queen mary's London
• Postgraduate Certificate in Education, Design and Technology, Goldsmiths
• BTec Sound Design, London College of Printing. Advanced undergraduate mathematics courses, Open University

Further Information:

Availability:	Weekends / Weekdays (all times)
Types of Tutoring:	Travels to you
References Supplied?	Yes
Additional Languages Spoken:	Some Spanish, French, and German, but a little rusty!