My lessons consist of a recognisable pattern which aids cognition and memory. For example, each lesson begins with a Do-Now in which students recall prior knowledge. The choice of this prior knowledge is deliberate, as it will also tend to unlock the learning in the next lesson as part of a pedagogical concept called 'schema'. The principle is that knowledge is 'sticky': the more one has, the easier it is to acquire more.

With regard to the content of the lesson itself, I like to focus on oral instruction and debate, at least in the earlier part of the lesson, in which the student can engage critically with key issues in the lesson. In a lesson on Stalin's seizure of power, for example, I might ask a student, as a prediction exercise, to give their opinion on the most important priorities that Stalin faced upon Lenin's death in 1924. I also like to focus on reading specific historical texts, which I will often set as pre-reading before the lesson. Sometimes, there will be comprehension questions on the reading, as well as information-gathering exercises based on standardised textbook resources. This is not to say that I am a teacher by the book! I believe strongly that a student needs a strong grounding in the knowledge of a topic, and that this can serve as a base for truly interesting and challenging discussions, for both tutor and tutee!