Maya Spanabel

I work with a diverse range of teaching methods, whatever best suits you. This can include presentations or reading together and/or discussion. I like coming up with creative exercises to engage students and encourage them to think deeply about historic subject matter, but also to have fun with it!

Past lesson plans have included: listening to propaganda ballads circulating at the time of a historic event and discussing the cultural context to discern the motivations behind the writing of said ballad, looking directly at historic source material to decipher motivations behind the actions of historic figures, and looking at and evaluating source credibility.

I really believe history becomes fascinating when you go beyond the standard memorising of dates and names. I want lessons to feel like a conversation, where you're comfortable asking questions, sharing ideas, and sometimes even disagreeing with historians! We might compare different interpretations of the same event, put ourselves in the shoes of people living at the time, or explore why certain sources tell very different stories. Whether you're working towards an exam, need help with essays, or just love learning about history, I'll tailor lessons to what you want to get out of them. My goal is to help you build confidence in your own ideas while developing the skills to analyse evidence, think critically, and enjoy discovering just how fascinating history can be. I tailor lessons to what you want to get out of them. My goal is to help you build confidence in your own ideas while developing the skills to analyse evidence, think critically, and enjoy discovering just how interesting history can be. Lessons are designed to be engaging, and adapted as your confidence grows, so you'll always feel challenged without feeling overwhelmed.