With previous experience volunteering as a teacher assistant in a summer school, I am familiar with the environment of teaching and communicating with a wide range of young adults of different background. Taking a gap year has also provided me with the flexibility and motivation to take on any opportunity.
My teaching style primarily revolves around the students needs and using interactive tasks which scaffold the students knowledge and expands their skill in order to build their confidence. Each lesson will include different levelled tasks to match the students level and needs and these can include labelling diagrams and answering exam style questions which will also serve as a form of active recall for the content covered.
Targets and objectives will be set for each lesson to allow the student to be familiar with what is expected to be covered within the lesson. Homework will consist of exam style questions so that during the session we can evaluate the student’s answers and go through exam technique and model answers which will help the students achieve the highest marks possible.
Certain subjects will require a different method of teaching in order to enhance the learning experience. For example, Biology requires more visual diagrams to help the students envision and understand the many processes covered so the use of more photos and illustrations will be necessary. The use of mind maps, tables and charts will also be used to help condense the content as much as possible and help the student understand and memorise the required information
I may also use examples, analogies and acronyms applicable to the content so that overwhelming or overwhelming content can be simplified to a student should they be confused or discouraged. An example of this can be OIL RIG in chemistry or ‘Carrots Should Come Mashed With Swede Under Roast Potatoes’ for psychology.
Content from the specification will be followed however relevant information may also be included; an example of this would be including Covid-19 into lessons covering disease and transmission as it is still a prevalent topic. Key words often featured in mark schemes and specification will be highlighted and added to a separate note or table so that the student can take note and use this to revise.