Helena Carone Wheatley

I research my students' exam specifications and mark schemes in detail to tailor classes to their specific needs. I pay attention to my students' difficulties and strengths and shape classes around them as needs be. I like to set students a small piece of writing to complete before the next class so that they can receive detailed written feedback without wasting lesson time, but this is not necessary.

For A Level students, I like to structure classes in line with the Cambridge supervision teaching style. This means usually beginning with an unseen extract that they independently annotate, followed by discussion and elaboration, and tied together by a short piece of writing that is marked and re-drafted if necessary. I found that these supervisions were the most helpful in sharpening my sense of the inner workings of texts. In my experience, the Cambridge interview process is about judging how well a student would adjust to this teaching and learning style, so this is also useful preparation for those intending to apply for Oxbridge!