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Dora
- Hourly rate £75
- Response Time 4h
- Number of students 10
£75/hr
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- 11 plus
- Essay Writing
- Writing
- Dissertation
- Functional Skills
Dora Copeland LLM BSc (Hons) (Politics and Sociolinguistics); BSc (Hons)(Computing); PGCE {QTS}; CELTA; LLM (Human Rights); MA (Special and Inclusive Education) {Pending}
Lesson location
- Online
-
at your home or in a public place : will travel up to 10 km from London
About Dora
I am a skilled qualified academic instructor with 13+ years' experience in delivering instruction, evaluating students, and developing and implementing schemes of work for English and maths. I specialise in tutoring the 8+ and 11+ age groups in English and maths, as well as in supporting students with dyslexia/dyscalculia, working memory challenges, organisation challenges, Oppositional Defiance Disorder, anxiety issues, visual impairments, behavioural needs, autism (including non-verbal and high functioning), ADHD, Dyspraxia, Dyscalculia, depression, Global Developmental Delay. I also teach EFL (English as a Foreign Language) and ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) at all levels.
As well as academic subjects, I teach study skills, time management skills, independence, social and communication skills as well as expression and intonation.
Experience as life coach and an academic mentor: I have recently become a life coach and an academic mentor of a female student (Year 10) who is currently attending Surbiton High School. Our highly interactive sessions feature a great range of topics focusing on the fine tuning of, inter alia, the specificity and clarity of written and oral expression as well as general life skills such as time management, revision techniques, interpersonal communication, to name but a few.
In addition, since October 2019 I have been working with another female student (currently in Year 11) attending Sacred Heart School, London. Considering the fact that the student did not read nor write at all between March and October 2019 (stress-related mental breakdown), her parents contacted me in October 2019, desperately seeking my help. Following a series of intensive sessions between October 2019 and July 2019 (3 h per week) that featured all sorts of unconventional tuition techniques ranging from philosophical discussions or Origami to Higher Tier GCSE mathematics, the student was so motivated and determined to get back to school, she was finally allowed to sit her Year 11 (re-entry) exams at the beginning of September 2020, which she passed successfully.
Experience working with students with dyscalculia: Working with pupils with dyscalculia requires considerable patience and empathy as they usually suffer from high levels of mathematics anxiety stemming from their pronounced difficulties in remembering basic mathematical facts. Considering the fact that some pupils may be slow to perform calculations, showing patterns to them and performing frequent recaps / revisions are therefore important remedial strategies to combat dyscalculia related problems.
Additionally, it is crucial that some maths strategies, such as specifying place value or mental arithmetic that pupils with dyscalculia usually struggle with, should be carefully explained and shown why (rather than told to be done in one way and not the other). Furthermore, as far as ‘failure management’ is concerned, it is crucial that errors should be first identified and then interpreted, rather than deemed as ‘wrong’ and/or hurriedly explained.
Other specific Special Educational Needs (SEN) teaching experience:
May 2019 – Present (1-to-1/online). Male pupil (19 years old). Complex health and disability needs (including global developmental delay) Subjects taught: English and Maths (KS2 – KS3); Following Riverston School Maths and English individual learning plan specification available on Maths Workout and Seneca Learning online platforms
March – July 2020 (online). Male pupil (17 years old). 3 h per week (1.5 h English / 1.5 h Maths). S had complex health and disability needs, which impact on his ability to attend to learning in a meaningful way. Condition: ADHD, Autism, Anxiety Disorder, Reactive Attachment Disorder and Oppositional Defiant Disorder. Sebastian also has a medical condition, Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, chromosome 15q25.2 duplication and emerging bipolar mood disorder. Subjects taught: Functional Skills English and Maths (Entry 3 – Level 1) / GCSE English preparation
January – March 2020. Female pupil (Year 6). 1.5h per week (45 English / 45 min Maths). Condition: auditory processing disorder. Challenges: Visio-spatial reasoning; non-verbal reasoning; reading comprehension; working memory. Subjects taught: 11+ Prep (English / Maths)
January – April 2020. Male pupil (Year 8). Condition: autism, dyslexia and dyspraxia and maybe additionally, defiance disorder, processing issues, attachment disorder. Subjects taught: Maths (KS2 – KS3)
May 2019 – July 2020. Age/year: girl in year 7 (then 8) and boy in year 10 (then 11). Challenges (girl): Both English and Maths; working memory, processing speed, multi-step directions, dyslexia-type challenges, comprehension. Subjects taught: Year 7 and 8 English and Maths. Challenges (boy): Both English and Maths; very short-term memory, writing and maths, confidence, organisational skills. Subjects taught: GCSE Maths and English preparation
October 2019 – March 2020. Male pupil (Year 7). 1.5 h per week. Condition: sensory or auditory processing disorder. Subjects taught: Year 7 English and Maths; homework help
January – March 2020. Male pupil (Year 7/8). Subjects taught: Maths; organisational skills
February – July 2019. 1.5 h per week; 1-to-1 tuition. Female pupil (Year 6). Diagnosis ADD and mild dyslexia / dyscalculia. Subjects/ skills taught: Maths, conceptual awareness, problem solving skills, organisational skills, ways to approach a problem
September 2018 – April 2019. 15 h per week; 1-to-1 tuition. Female pupil (10 years old). Diagnosis; Smith – Magenis syndrome, ADHD, Microcephaly, Intellectual / learning disability, Significant speech and language delay or speech difficulties, Behavioural difficulties (including self-injurious behaviour and aggression towards others)
February – July 2018. 5 h per week; 1-to-1 tuition. Male pupil (14 years old). Diagnosis: ADHD, difficulties regulating his sensory system, requiring a need to touch and fiddle with objects, difficulties with fine motor skills which impacted on his handwriting, hypersensitivity to noises, affecting his ability to concentrate (considerable attention deficit)
February 2018. Female pupil (8 years old), 5 h per week: 1-to-1 tuition. Diagnosis: Autistic Spectrum Disorder, significant language delay and a pattern of behaviours, special educational needs in the following areas: Language and Communication, cognition and learning, Social, emotional and behavioural development, physical and sensory
October 2017 – March 2018. Male pupil (7 years old). 20 h per week: 1-to-1 tuition. Diagnosis: Right frontocentral cortical dysplasia, functional disconnection with interior part of the corpus callosum, disconnection of right hemisphere in May 2010 with resection of anterior part of corpus callosum and disconnection of frontal polar and orbital regions of frontal lobe in November 2011, left sided hemiparesis, severe learning difficulties (marked cognitive and development delay, visual and hearing impairment), intractable epilepsy
September 2016 – July 2017. Male pupil (12 years old). 2 h per week: 1-to-1 tuition. Diagnosis: Global Development Delay
September 2012 - August 2015 (Uxbridge College). Working with visually impaired and partially mute students included in mainstream.
Boosting independence and self-evaluation: Involving students in the process of teaching and optimising their learning can be attained by means of methodical self-assessment. Helping students understand their own learning by means of (short and long term) target setting and review, and develop appropriate strategies for “learning to learn” (can a pupil explain in his own words what he / she has just learnt?) allows them to self-evaluate and actively (consciously) experience their educational attainment.
My skills and experience teaching critical thinking, essay writing for university including Masters: Studying for my first MA programme, namely Master of Laws in Human Rights at Birkbeck, University of London that I graduated from in 2018 with 2.1, I learnt how conducive to my critical thinking development the entire experience was. The importance of a balanced argument, academic credibility, and versatility of quoted sources - indispensable for attaining high standards of academic writing - became a major factor in the refinement of my everyday oral and written expression.
Assisting a number of undergraduate University of Westminster (Engineering) students with their essay composition and evaluative writing skills (2018) and, more recently (2020), a postgraduate MA in Childhood Education student (University of Derby) gave me additional, invaluable, insights into the art of essay composition – whatever the topic – children’s social and cognitive development, and an opportunity to pass on my academic writing skills I had previously acquired in the process of my own academic journey.
On a final note, since education is one’s own personal responsibility and a lifelong experience, commencing an MA in Special and Inclusive Education at UCL (September 2020) has been yet another step towards my professional and intellectual refinement that will benefit myself and others.
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About the lesson
- Primary
- Secondary
- GCSE
- +8
levels :
Primary
Secondary
GCSE
AS Level
A Level
BTEC
Adult
Undergraduate
Masters
Diploma
Doctorate
- English
All languages in which the lesson is available :
English
My Teaching Philosophy
"Per ardua ad astra" = Through hardship / hard work to the stars
Boosting independence and self-evaluation: Involving students in the process of teaching and optimising their learning can be attained by means of methodical self-assessment. Helping students understand their own learning by means of (short and long term) target setting and review, and develop appropriate strategies for “learning to learn” (can a pupil explain in his own words what he / she has just learnt?) allows them to self-evaluate and actively (consciously) experience their educational attainment.
My skills and experience teaching critical thinking, essay writing for university including Masters: Studying for my first MA programme, namely Master of Laws in Human Rights at Birkbeck, University of London that I graduated from in 2018 with 2.1, I learnt how conducive to my critical thinking development the entire experience was. The importance of a balanced argument, academic credibility, and versatility of quoted sources - indispensable for attaining high standards of academic writing - became a major factor in the refinement of my everyday oral and written expression.
In order to effectively support my pupils’ specific learning disabilities by raising their academic standards and performance in literacy and numeracy, amongst other things, I incorporate their specific learning styles (visual, auditory or kinaesthetic) in addressing their social, emotional, academic, and behavioural needs.
Considering I myself have spent over 20 years in higher education so far, some (experience-based) effective time management and study skills that I teach are as follows
- Organisation (time management, essay composition)
- Planning
- Text analysis techniques
- Study and note taking (selection of relevant facts) skills
- Other revision strategies (workload division)
- Exam techniques: structure and composition of answers, using suitable academic vocabulary, fronted adverbials and advanced grammar
Succinctness and clarity of expression
Most children with learning disabilities need skills in these areas. It is often their lack of these skills that makes learning overwhelming, challenging and builds a gradual aversion towards school and learning.
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Recommendations
Recommendations come from relatives, friends and acquaintances of the teacher
3
To Whom it may concern,
Ms. Copeland is an excellent teacher who infuses and enables her students to learn in a fun way ensuring all the objectives are met and whose diligence is noteworthy. I wish her all the success in her future endeavours.
Sanja MackenzieLord I can go on for days. Dora has not only been a tutor to my son she has also taken my son as on of her own. My son is sick with cancer she has not only played a role in johns life but to my family on whole. I can speak to Dora at time about everything regarding my kids and my grandkids always there to give advise and support. Dora is just the best a tutor and a child's best friend. My granddaughter also loves miss Dora very much and always makes time to fit her in too.
Through personal experience as a colleague and friend I know that Dora is absolutely trustworthy and a dedicated teacher besides being original, funny and extremely knowledgeable in her subjects.
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Rates
Hourly rate
- £75
Pack prices
- 5h: £350
- 10h: £700
online
- £65/h
Travel
- + £5
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