Spencer Duberry

I have 15 years' experience of teaching English as a first and second language (GCSE, IGCSE, IB, A-level), as well as English literature (GCSE, IGCSE, IB, A-level). My students have consistently achieved excellent results across the ability range: the last time I taught English to the lowest GCSE set, 50% of students passed, compared with 0 in the equivalent set of the previous year group; the following year I taught English to a top set class in a prestigious Korean international school, with the number of top A and A* grades doubling compared with the previous year's cohort.

My approach is first and foremost a personal one: I believe students achieve better if they have a trusting relationship with the teacher, and I approach the job with empathy: it is important to understand that each student is different, and each student's needs are different. I believe that the key to success is equipping students with a clear understanding of the success criteria associated with the learning materials, and providing easy-to-understand, specific formative feedback on work produced. The exact format this will take will depend upon the nature of what is being taught: the skills associated with language acquisition (second language learners), language mastery (first language students), and literary analysis are all quite different. Nevertheless, the format of my teaching follows a consistent structure: first it is important to ascertain what the student already knows, in terms of subject methodology, next, excellent work will be modelled, with an emphasis on methodology, the student will then be asked to attempt to follow these methods, then formative feedback will be provided.