Mrs F's
Help With History Tuition
Online tuition in A Level and GCSE History provided by an experienced former Head of History and graduate of the University of Cambridge.
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Every parent wants what is best for their child and that means finding the best tutor to support them. But how do you choose from the many companies and individuals who are offering their services? I would suggest there are three key attributes you should be looking for in a tutor: strong subject knowledge, qualified teacher status and experience.
1. Strong subject knowledge
The Sutton Trust’s 2014 report What makes great teaching? reviewed over 200 pieces of research to identify the elements of teaching with the strongest evidence of improving attainment. The component which tops the list as being most effective in improving student outcomes is subject knowledge:
“The most effective teachers have deep knowledge of the subjects they teach, and when teachers’ knowledge falls below a certain level it is a significant impediment to students’ learning. As well as a strong understanding of the material being taught, teachers must also understand the ways students think about the content, be able to evaluate the thinking behind students’ own methods, and identify students’ common misconceptions”1.
Whilst some individuals offer to tutor students in a variety of subjects, I have chosen to only offer tuition in the subject of my expertise. I had the privilege of studying History at the University of Cambridge, graduating in 2010 with a 2:1. Their course has been ranked among the top three of the world’s best for several years and is renowned for its huge range of options, providing both breadth and depth of subject knowledge.
3. Experience
Whilst it is true that newly qualified teachers are often enthusiastic and brimming with fresh ideas, their relative inexperience means that they are still honing their teaching skills. Between September 2012 and August 2013, Ofsted carried out over 4,800 observations of newly qualified teachers in the course of conducting school inspections. They reported that:
“As might be expected, their teaching was weaker than that of more experienced teachers. This...confirms that not all trainees have developed the practical skills they need to ‘hit the ground running’ by the end of their training.” 5
An experienced teacher has had the opportunity to teach key content and skills over and over again, discovering in the process which common errors and misunderstandings students make and which teaching methods are best to address this.
My own experience working in education began when I decided to pursue a job in teaching after graduating from the University of Cambridge. Before undertaking my Post Graduated Diploma in Education (PGDE), I took a job as a teaching assistant (2010-2011) in order to gain some relevant experience in the profession. After completing my PGDE at the University of Aberdeen in 2013 I spent three years teaching History and Modern Studies at a deprived inner-city comprehensive school in Aberdeen. I then relocated back home to Kent, where I took up the post of Lead Teacher of History at a local grammar school. I thus have experience teaching students across the ability range and in my position as Lead Teacher I helped turn round the fortunes of the History department. Only 18% of students achieved A*/A grades in the summer before I took up my position, but within three years this had increased to 54%.
In November 2019 I went on maternity leave and made the decision not to go back to this role in order to spend more time with my son. Becoming a tutor was the perfect next step, allowing me to work more flexibly whilst continuing to fulfil my passion for teaching. I have previous experience tutoring, having been asked by my previous employer, Aberdeen City Council, to provide two hours a week tuition to a student whose medical condition prevented them from attending school (October 2013-May 2015). I relish being able to work with students one-to-one. It was a particularly enjoyable aspect of my work as a teaching assistant and something one sadly does not have as much chance to do as a classroom teacher of 32 students! In addition to my experience working as a teaching assistant, tutor and teacher, I have also worked as an examiner in order to further my knowledge of assessment standards. In 2015 I marked SQA National 5 History Assignments (the Scottish equivalent of GCSE coursework) and in 2017 I marked the AQA A Level Making of Modern Britain 1951-2007 paper.
2. Qualified Teacher Status
A good degree from a highly ranked university does not in itself guarantee that an individual will make a good tutor for your child. As the quote from the Sutton Trust report makes clear, it is just as important to be able to effectively communicate this knowledge to the learner. That is why it is a huge advantage to have a tutor who is also a qualified teacher. Anyone can call themselves a tutor, but rigorous training is required in order to gain qualified teacher status. This is something I can attest to, having gained a PGDE in Secondary Education from the University of Aberdeen (2013) and acted as a mentor to PGCE students on school placement from Canterbury Christ Church University. The Teachers’ Standards, which define the minimum level of practice expected of teachers in England, place great emphasis on the ability to identify misconceptions and plan teaching around the capabilities and prior knowledge of students 2. In addition, whilst tutoring is an unregulated profession, teachers “are accountable for achieving the highest possible standards in work and conduct” 3. Research by the University of Missouri supports the argument that students are more likely to be successful if they are taught by well qualified teachers:
"If students are taught by a string of under qualified and underperforming teachers, it limits academic potential. However, highly qualified teachers are more likely to expand students' desires to learn and succeed." 4
1. Robert Coe, Cesare Aloisi, Steve Higgins and Lee Elliot Major, What makes great teaching? Review of the underpinning research, October 2014 <https://www.suttontrust.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/What-Makes-Great-Teaching-REPORT.pdf> [accessed 3 June 2020] (p.2)
2. Department for Education, Teachers’ standards: overview, July 2011 < https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/665522/Teachers_standard_information.pdf> [accessed 16 June 2020]
3. Ibid, p.1.
4. University of Missouri-Columbia, Students taught by highly qualified teachers more likely to obtain bachelor's degree: Schools with more teachers who majored in their teaching subject are more likely to have students succeed both short and long term, <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/05/180522114820.htm> [accessed June 5, 2020].
5. Ofsted, The report of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills – Schools, 2013 <https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/386795/Ofsted_Annual_Report_201213_Schools.pdf#page=14> [accessed 4 June 2020]