Steff Bates

My lessons are relaxed, friendly and personalised to the student. I don't follow a single textbook from lesson to lesson. Instead, I use a CEFR-based ESL curriculum with my own PowerPoint lessons and activities, which gives the lessons a clear structure and progression while still allowing me to adapt the content, pace and activities to suit each student. For younger learners, I also use Twinkl's DfE-approved phonics curriculum alongside my own activities and resources.

My lessons are relaxed, friendly and personalised to the student. I don't believe that every learner benefits from exactly the same lesson, so I adapt the content, pace and activities to suit the student's age, level, interests and goals.

For children, I like to make lessons active and engaging rather than having them sit and listen to a teacher for the whole lesson. Depending on the child, we might use games, stories, pictures, songs, conversation, phonics, reading, creative activities or topics they are interested in. I create many of my own teaching materials, so I can build lessons around what a particular student needs to practise. I also offer optional STEM/STEAM activities through my own teaching platform, Clear Sky English, giving children the opportunity to use English while exploring subjects such as science, animals, nature, creativity and problem-solving. More information on this is available via my website; clearskyenglish.carrd.co

For students working on speaking, I make sure they have plenty of opportunities to actually use English. I can gently correct mistakes and help with pronunciation and natural phrasing without interrupting the flow of the conversation too much.

I have experience adapting lessons for students who find traditional teaching methods difficult, including learners with ADHD and autism. I try to understand how each student learns best and use that to make lessons more manageable and enjoyable.

I have 9 years of experience teaching English and over 10 years of teaching experience overall, with learners ranging from very young children to adults. I have a Bachelor's degree in Education, and my university studies included Foreign Language Teaching Methodology, English for Children, and Language Teaching, Learning & Creativity.

Most importantly, I want students to feel comfortable making mistakes and trying things out. Learning a language takes practice, and I want my lessons to be somewhere students feel comfortable doing that.