Ela Yuce

I recently finished the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma. For the last two years in the IB, I studied HL Language and Literature and although I'm not as familiar with A Levels and GCSEs, I have many skills that I learnt during my diploma which are transferable to the British system.

Before the lessons begin, I always have students send me the recent content being covered in their class and also ask them for a general overview of what they need help with. I prepare the materials based on this and also based on what the student is preparing for (ie. finals compared to midterms). To improve their analysis, I begin with having them analyse easier text types such as cartoons and infographics, and then transition to more difficult ones. In the beginning, I give them the text before the lesson and ask them to annotate it, so that I can gain an understanding of where they stand. After I feel that they have developed this skill, I begin to ask them to analyse unseen texts in 5-10 minutes during the lesson so that they are able to practice their skills under time pressure. If the main skill they want to work on is essay writing, I ask them to send me an essay they've written recently for any assignment and I go over it with them. I cover different essay structures and ask them to write practice paragraphs to make sure that they practice applying the skills they've learnt.

However, I am always open to hearing about what the student would prefer, as I'm aware everyone learns differently and my end goal is to be of help. I typically always do hour lessons as I think it's difficult to for students to stay focused past that point, but if they prefer 90 minute lessons that's also completely fine. I do speak American English, but that has never caused any complications during my lessons.