I always begin my lessons by asking my student what they would like to do today.

Sometimes, the answer is extremely specific - I have had students tell me that what they really want to do is learn how to use an apostrophe correctly! Sometimes, the answer is more general - that they want to get better at answering the analysis questions in the RUAE paper, for example.

Sometimes, they don't know exactly what they need, just that they want to be better at English. In those cases, I usually start by asking them to produce a piece of writing for me that I can look at, and then I use my professional expertise to decide what I feel is holding them back. We might do some work on how to structure an essay so that it really follows a clear line of thought, or get to grips with a particular poem or scene of a play they're studying, or I might teach them how to proof read effectively.

Often, I find that there are several different areas in which they need support. In that case we will probably split the session and, for example, spend some time on getting to grips with poetry analysis, and some on how to approach comprehension questions in the exam.

In terms of how I teach, that varies a lot based on who my student is, and what works for them. Some people benefit from lots of chat, some need to be up on their feet and moving their body regularly or they can't concentrate. Some people like to just sit and quietly work through past papers together. Whatever works for them, works for me. I am here to facilitate and support their development, and I will be as flexible as I need to be to make it happen.

I suppose the other important thing about my lessons is that they are fun! I love my subject, and I believe strongly that it is only when people can take real ownership of the subject, and find ways to genuinely enjoy it, that they will really show us what they can do.