Alexander Schumacher

My approach in History depends very much upon which modules the student is taking, as they vary hugely between schools and exam boards, however, my approach is to engage my students in the subject and to generate passion for the material. Both the contextualisation and the critique of source material is central to my approach. I also dedicate at least one session a month to exam skills- such as exam answer structuring, linkage and historical text synthesis. In my experience, this aids students in familiarising themselves with how their knowledge and skills will be tested. My sessions are built around discussion of a core topic or event in the style of a debate, which I find helps my students become more engaged and immersed in the subject matter. Typically, we would then use those discussions to shape answers to potential exam questions. I focus on past exam papers as key leaning tools during my sessions, as I believe it gets students familiar with what will be expected and is, generally, a good indication of what to expect. My sessions are interactive, flexible and focused on exam success (first and foremost!).

I always encourage students to learn a language- and passion for the language, culture and people is central to my approach in teaching German. The best way to learn a language is to immerse oneself in constant practice- and that is exactly what I encourage. Students will have a list of 20 words they must learn every week, and each lesson will focus on a key topic that is common in GCSE and A-Level curriculums. I have previously hosted lessons on topics like Multiculturalism, Sport, Renewable Energy and German History (typically a student favourite!). I split my lessons, with focus on different elements of the German language- each lesson will have either a reading, writing, speaking or listening focus, with the compulsory grammar lessons not to be forgotten either! I also implement what I call immersion sessions- this means that for 20-30 minutes of a tutoring session, only German must be spoken, which I believe helps students prepare for speaking assessments, where a similar environment is mandated. As, in my experience, students commonly struggle with one element of the language, I always assess a student to begin with to ascertain where their language level lacks, and subsequently tailor the approach of the session to address those weaknesses.

Please contact me directly to find out more about my approach to teaching Geography, Economics, Law and Business. More information is always available on my website!