Gareth is now offering a private tuition service to students of all ages.

In Gareth's own words...

In a school setting, teachers do a marvellous job considering they are bound by a restrictive syllabus.  They can differentiate learning to alter their mode of delivery, and resources to accommodate additional learning needs.  It’s quite astounding how much teachers do and how much goes into giving pupils and students the best chance of success.  I truly admire what they do.

The service I offer is to try and complement classroom based teaching with methods that improve a student’s willingness to learn as well as achieving their overall qualification.   The beginning of that process starts with a simple question.  Simple though it may be, it does require more thought than you may think at first glance:

What would you like to accomplish by passing your qualifications? 

In my opinion, based on my own experience as a lifelong learner and someone who has worked in the education sector, we aim to achieve our desired grades to move on to the next step.  Furthermore, we sometimes fail to see the value in what we’re actually learning.  We can’t always see the usefulness behind the subject material.  This is especially true of high school qualifications.  There is such a wealth of transferable knowledge and skills, which can be applied to everyday life and future careers, yet we are sometimes so focused on what we will receive at the end, we forget to enjoy the journey. 

Learning should be an enjoyable process, like playing sports, video games, or hanging out with friends; no one is actively thinking ‘I can’t wait until this is over’, when they are doing something they enjoy.  Moreover, it's the experience you relish, and not the end result. Yet, if we look at what we achieve by partaking in these social activities and interactions: you gain social skills, improve your fitness and mental health, as well as develop some other key skills which allow you to function in everyday life.  In my opinion, learning topics such as English, Maths and Science should follow a similar path.  You should be enjoying what you are doing, otherwise you become disengaged.  It’s all about finding the right way for you to improve your experience.  Conclusively, you never feel like you’re learning in the traditional sense of the word.  The learning is peripheral to the activity itself, like subliminal messages being filtered into the experience.

Take this example for instance:

Imagine you hate football (for some of you, this won’t require much imagination). If the subject was something abstract like learning teambuilding skills, and the mode of delivery, and/or subject material revolved around playing football, how can you be expected to learn if you can’t engage with the material?

But, imagine you like basketball.  All the same skills can be taught with the alternate subject material, and it’s still a sport, so the mode of delivery is almost identical. 

It sounds basic because it is.  If you alter the subject material and/or mode of delivery to something that the student finds interesting, then you will automatically have their attention. 

You don’t have to do a literature search, or a controlled study to evidence this theory.  If a young adult enjoys fantasy fiction, and is watching a movie about fantasy realms and dragons, which is subliminally delivering theories on the formation of the early universe, then they will be engrossed; the result will be that they will have a better understanding of astrophysics and science.  If they have a younger sibling who changes the programme to one for ages under 6, which has a mildly annoying theme tune, they will switch off.  It wouldn’t matter if the underlying messages and lessons are identical.

         This is what I can do.  I can adapt the material of a topic and make it so that you, or your child can respond to the material.  As an author my expertise lies in literature and language.   However, as I teach young people in my workshops, literature is a science, mathematical, geographical and can transcend the walls of the subject, English.  I have studied a vast array of topics, which range from degree level computer science and mathematics to fitness coaching.  I have taught IT in the NHS, supported learners in college from Pre Entry level qualifications all the way to GCSE (Pre-Entry– Function Skills Entry Level 1,2,3 – Functional Skills Level 1,2 – GCSE), as well as ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages), I have been a freelance fitness coach and I assist coaching the local football team (Under 8’S).  As well as having experience teaching those with additional learning needs, and being dyslexic myself, I’m also raising my severely disabled daughter, so I have a firm understanding of the difficulties that surround teaching those with additional needs.  I also deliver workshops in schools in the art of storytelling, which embraces the idea of making mistakes, problem solving, understanding your emotions and the feelings of others, and creative method of telling your story.  There is more, but in a nutshell I have the skills needed to improve an individual’s outlook on education, and alter the mode of delivery to meet their requirements.  I can make learning fun, I can teach you how to apply what you learn to everyday life, and I can improve your chance of success.

Given what I have said, would you change your answer to the first question?

What would you like to accomplish by passing your qualifications? 

Your grade is important for moving on to the next stage in your education.  But, it’s what you do with what you have learned on the journey through the subject, which will determine how valuable it is, and how successful you will become.

If you’re interested in what I have to offer, then I’ll look forward to having a chat with you.