Joseph Murphy

My lessons consist of practical examples from real texts, novels and writing and demonstrating how students can incorporate the grammatical techniques, in their own work, essays or exam answers.

I also focus on assisting students in studying the texts for their GCSE, A level or Undergraduate exams. During my study at the University of Sheffield, i engaged with a wide variety of literature and texts which not only makes me well read, but also allows me to engage with these texts on a wider contextual and thematic basis.

The concept of theme and context takes a core section of the English Literature and English Language GCSE and A Level, making up the majority of questions. This is the reason I incorporate a system of essay writing and marking between myself and the pupil. By encouraging the link between textual themes and the actual text that the exam is written on, the pupil begins to not only see how the teaching benefits their writing within the exam, but also carries this through into their everyday vocabulary and writing.

Furthermore, lessons are structured in a way that we will work through the text in lesson, linking with GCSE and A Level teaching resources but also at a pace that the student is comfortable with. If they are stuck with a particular scene or chapter of a book or with a meaning of an unfamiliar word, we will persevere until they understand, creating a fully comprehensive overview of the text, preparing them for exams and getting them the best possible grades.