Maria

How can I help?

As a highly qualified specialist teacher with over 27 years experience, I provide expert learning support to children and young people with diverse challenges. I am passionate about supporting student learning and my MA course in Understanding Children on the Autistic Spectrum (Kingston University) has enabled me to develop and provide bespoke lessons tailored to learners' individual needs and styles of learning. My position as Pastoral Lead in a private school provided me with opportunities to spend time with students to nurture and unravel their emotional, social, academic, and behavioural challenges. This always led to empowering and uplifting students to be the best version of themselves with tool sets they needed whilst embracing challenges and meeting goals.

I follow a wonderful blog called Edutopia which provides professional training for current and new pedagogical strategies to elevate teaching from assessment to communication and games based learning to trauma informed teaching. Staying in touch with current educational thinking and evaluations is in my daily news feed and I relish opportunities to work with students on new practices and ideas.

Specialist support for students with ADD and ADHD:

Over a course of twenty six years, I have had the opportunity to engage in extensive professional development on focus and attention and I have supported students in academic and home settings. I use effective techniques such as kinaesthetic and interactive learning and concrete manipulatives to help students connect to their learning and find a path to express their thoughts. Typically, children and young people facing attention challenges experience anxiety which can affect their memory and processing in all core areas such as maths, reading and writing. An integral part of my teaching practice involves techniques which eliminate anxiety and help children approach their tasks in manageable ways, reaching outcomes and finding happiness and excitement in their learning. By using highly effective practices such as: pattern finding, repetition, rhyming, I make sure that all children reach a deep level of understanding of a particular concept so that they can independently build and extend on a project.

Specialist support for PDA & challenging behaviour

Teaching students who are challenged with PDA has been successful and meaningful by using student led ideas and forming a partnership. Students slowly build trust and together we recognize that the sources of anxiety and demand avoidance are inherently personal. Through investing time in gaining a thorough understanding of the underlying causes, I apply and adapt strategies tailored to suit each child's needs. My approach encompasses a variety of techniques including adjusting mindset, optimizing environments, minimizing perceived demands, employing rewards and sanctions cautiously, addressing sensory needs, supporting social interaction and communication, managing challenging behaviors, and promoting emotional well-being.

Extensive experience in providing engaging sessions that promote a love of learning:

My teaching style and philosophy is founded in curiosity and wonder - turning activities into engaging experiences and unexpected joy with learning something new. I invest time in getting to know a curious mind with the ability to ask questions freely. Children's natural love for learning is promoted by student-led ideas coupled with curriculum based ideas. I tailor activities so they are fun, multi-sensory and lead to a desire to come back for more. When I plan lessons I make them interactive and rewarding - keeping the student at the centre. There are lots of opportunities for students to talk and explain to me how they know what they know - we complete puzzles, play games, work on quizzes, write and draw mind-maps and sketches to name a few!

Experience in stimulating in student independence:

Independence can have a huge impact on a student's learning and their well being. It has always been hugely rewarding to see my students improve their academic performance and increase their motivation and confidence. This boost in self-esteem benefits children in their learning and social environments. The techniques I use include: student-led ideas for learning, scaffolded questioning to promote problem-solving, offering choice in activities to encourage accountability and connection to the work, reflection and building a collaborative partnership.

Experienced and an adaptive English teacher

As an experienced English teacher I am dedicated to equipping students with the skills and confidence to excel in English assessments across all levels, from EYFS to to GCSE. After leading English for several years in school I have a wealth of experience in primary and secondary education and I plan my approach to meet each student's needs. My professional development opportunities include critical thinking. This style of learning has enabled students to be more open minded with their learning and the strategies to break down information and analyse their approach to a project and evaluate their work with pride.

I have much experience in supporting students who face challenges with attention or fine motor skills, and an awareness of how these can create barriers in written expression. Through enjoyable techniques that strengthen focus, I help reduce resistance to writing, allowing students to embrace and refine their unique learning styles. Courses I have undertaken whilst working in schools included ‘Reluctant writers' and ‘Is this writing?'. Ultimately there are many paths to achieve results and I work with students to find the path that matches their needs.

Leadership in IT

Having led ICT for several years in school I make sure my students stay informed about emerging technological trends, while adapting complex concepts to suit diverse learning styles. To engage students effectively, I break down multi skilled topics into understandable segments, utilizing practical examples and hands-on activities to keep the curriculum relevant and future-focused. With patience, creativity, and a focus on inspiring curiosity and problem-solving, I integrate technology across various subjects, creating a dynamic and interactive learning environment that supports the comprehensive student development. of my students' IT skills.