My first priority is always to establish a strong relationship with both child and parent. Using warmth, positivity and empathy, I spend a good amount of time getting to know the student’s unique strengths, interests and challenges. I also dedicate time each session to listening to the parent’s ideas and concerns.
Using this information, I create bespoke session plans focused on having fun, playing to the child’s strengths and interests, whilst fostering a ‘have a go’ attitude. My sessions are wide ranging, from shopping for food to pronounce our letter sounds, dressing up as pirates and growling our times tables, bouncing basketballs for hand-eye coordination and sensory input, to listening to and scribing a GCSE essay on A Christmas Carol. They can be academic or playful; quiet with no eye-contact or clapping games bouncing on balls; researching Shakespearean sonnets to shouting Shakespearean insults. It all depends on the child’s particular needs, strengths, interests and goals.
How I teach Students with anxiety
I am a fully qualified child therapist and am skilled at working with children with anxiety. Anxiety in children and young people has increased exponentially in recent years and it is often the first block to learning. I first establish a trusting relationship through empathy, humour and open questions; this stage is crucial and the foundation for any effective learning to take place. I teach the child to recognise feelings of anxiety in their body and we use orienting and breathing exercises to return our body through our senses, in survival modes of fight, flight or freeze. I teach de-escalation strategies through co-regulation and grounding techniques. All of these techniques are grounded in a light, playful style, which feels safe, connected and unhurried.
How I teach children with emotional dysregulation
Aggression is a survival response, when the body experiences a threat and goes into a fight mode. My aim, much the same as anxiety, would be to anchor the child to my calmness and create a feeling of safety. This is achieved by warmth, safe boundaries and a low, quiet voice. Humour is effective once children feel like they are able to reach a connection with me. I state clear boundaries calmly, in a low tone and enact them if necessary, to keep everyone safe. I find de-escalation strategies are best when kept simple, non-confrontational and calm.
How I teach neuro-diverse students
I have a huge range of experience teaching neurodiverse students, as well as having a neurodiverse son. The key is always to gain an in-depth understanding of their particular strengths and challenges. I look for sensory preferences (including light, temperature, noise, touch taste and smell), fine and gross motor control, communication preferences (including tone, eye contact, direct/indirect requests, humour etc), non-linear approaches, focus and interests. Any characteristics which make them unique are included in their profile and planning, including such aspects as sleep and diet. I have done wide ranging research on particular therapies which support neurodiverse learning, including sensory diets, occupational therapy exercises, speech therapy and neurofeedback therapy, all of which have helped my son, and other students, immensely.
How I teach children with Pathological Demand Avoidance (I prefer, Persistent Drive for Autonomy)
Children who have such trauma, anxiety, sensory or cognitive difficulties sometimes have a need to in control to feel safe. I approach these children through play, humour and indirect and non-confrontational tasks, for example working alongside a child whilst talking about what I am doing. I would always leave an ‘out’ for the child, as the anxiety of realising that a demand cannot be avoided, or their forms of resistance have been exhausted, can result in meltdown or panic. These states are usually out of the child’s control.
How I help students engage with learning
I always adopt a ‘I do, we do, you do’ approach to learning and feel that confidence and resilience is grown when a student feels competent to perform a task on their own by the end of a session. I do not encourage and over reliance on help, nor a sink or swim approach. Scaffolding and modelling lay the foundations for independent work to take place.
How I teach Maths
I teach primary maths and secondary maths up to functional skills level. I use the CPA method: Concrete, Pictorial, Abstract. I start with the Concrete, using objects and tactile resources the students can touch and handle. For example, if a problem involves adding pieces of fruit, children can first handle actual fruit. From there, they can progress to handling counters or cubes which represent the fruit. I then move to Pictorial stage. Here, visual representations of concrete objects are used to model problems. This stage encourages children to make a mental connection between the physical object they just handled and the pictures. Abstract is the symbolic stage, where children use abstract symbols to model problems. Students will not progress to this stage until they have demonstrated that they have a solid understanding of the Concrete and Pictorial stages of the problem. Here, I introduce concepts at a symbolic level, using only numbers, notation, and mathematical symbols. Throughout, I keep the sessions fun, focussing on the child’s interests and preferred learning style.
How I teach English
I read English literature at Kent university and have taught English at primary and secondary level up to GCSE. I have always loved fiction and I will bring stories, drama or acting into any session, if a child responds well to them. So many topics can be introduced through a story or play and fictional characters are great for introducing sensitive topics or difficulties to work on for example bullying, puberty or self-esteem. If a child prefers non-fiction, I use a wide array of resources and texts which engage them and activate their interests. A research project on their particular passion is an excellent way of unlocking and developing an array of literacy skills. I have based lessons around Pokemon, Formula One, World War 1 and the Solar System, for example.
I encourage the use of audio books, videos and performances to access text, as well as silent reading or reading together. When teaching GCSE, I promote the use of typing if the child finds the mechanics of writing a struggle. I have a wide range of texts to support both the English literature and English language components. I teach the specifics of essay writing, providing as much scaffolding as required initially, with a view to the student working towards an independent piece of writing.
I teach phonics and reading using Twinkl Phonics or Read, Write, Inc and have a wide range of different level texts. My intention is to break down any mental or emotional block to reading and writing which can blight some children. Hence, I weave new words and letter sounds into any task we do, in an organic way. I use tactile materials such as sand, water, clay, paint to teach writing if holding a pencil is tricky and have handwriting and spelling packs to move students on, once they are ready.
