I am a qualified French and German teacher, with experience of teaching languages in a school environment, as well as online and through one-to-one tuition. Through my time teaching in different schools I have gained an insight into the myriad of different problems that people can face when learning a foreign language and have developed techniques to overcome these barriers. I fervently believe that learning a foreign language is such a valuable skill to carry into later life and I therefore aim to make all of my lessons as fun and engaging as possible, so that students can share in this passion.

I ensure that my lessons are fun and interactive, with a selection of different activities in order to challenge my pupils but also to ensure maximum retention. I enjoy thinking of new and innovative ways to teach, from listening exercises using Spotify playlists to online quizzes for learning vocabulary. Whichever methods are used in my lessons, I always ensure that the focus is on the student and that they are confident in applying the content of the lesson independently.

I have experience working with GCSE and A Level students with exam boards OCR, AQA and Edexcel, and I pride myself on imparting exemplary exam techniques upon students so that they can go into their examinations feeling confident and well-prepared.

Having studied German at university and lived in Berlin for a year, I have considerable practical experience with the language. I enjoy teaching and passing on this love for languages, and look forward to working with more students so that they too can enjoy speaking another language and immersing themselves in another culture.

Key Stage 3

At Key Stage 3 level, students are often studying more than one language in school prior to being able to select one to move forwards with at GCSE level. This period of study is therefore vital in ensuring that students have the confidence in their own ability to carry on with the subject and achieve to the best of their ability, which is my key focus at this level. I focus on the grammatical basics of German at Key Stage 3 level to ensure that my students understand the foundations of the language, so that we can then build upon this with further vocabulary and tenses at a later point. Although grammar can seem quite daunting, I have put together a series of fun and interactive resources that make this topic accessible.

Key Stage 4

The focus for Key Stage 4 level German is of course on the GCSE examination at the end of Year 11, and so in all of my lessons there is always a link back to the GCSE exams; whether that is by showing how a written question would be marked by an examiner, to highlighting the skills that we have learned in the context of an exam paper. As well as focusing on the final exam, I also ensure that my students can see the progress that they are making so that their confidence grows as we build through the sessions –  showing them how their latest pieces of work compare to prior pieces and introducing more difficult topics which will enable them to access better marks when they are ready. I have a strong track record in helping individual students build on their in-class learning and pride myself specifically on giving my students the tools they need to gain top-level marks in their examinations as well as the confidence to use their language in the real world.

Key Stage 5

The jump from GCSE German to A Level German can be quite daunting for some students, as the syllabus involves a lot of native literature and films which can seem overwhelming at first as the GCSE specification is much simpler. I aim to ensure that my students focus on their strengths in the early part of their A Level German course so that they do not feel disheartened at the increased level of difficulty that they are faced with, and through focusing on their strengths they come to realise that they can broach the new literature and films using some simple techniques and concentrating on what they do understand, and not what they don’t. At this level, I ensure that there are no gaps in grammatical knowledge or tenses as this will hinder a student’s progression and ultimately their final grade. I also work with the chosen text of the student to help them not only understand the language, but also the cultural and historical context of the chosen piece of literature.

Adult Learning

For many of us, learning a language is a lifelong aspiration – perhaps you didn’t pay attention in school or just earmarked yourself as “no good at languages”. Well, I am pleased to say that it is never too late to start learning a language and you will be surprised at how quickly you can pick up the basics of German so that you can have a conversation or more. Whenever I work with an adult learner, I always ask what your goals are through these lessons – is it to be able to read something in the language, conversational German for holidays or is it for a business trip or opportunity that is coming up? Through understanding your goals, I can tailor the lessons specifically to you and enable you to achieve your ultimate target. Despite what your main driver for learning the language is, I will always ensure that you understand how the basics of the language are put together and the three main tenses, from that point onwards we can then focus on vocabulary so that you have the resilience to use your language in a variety of situations.

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