IBDP/MYP English A Teacher, Examiner, and Head of English Department, holds BA in English with over 10 years of teaching experience.
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Daniel H.
Country: Brazil, Sao Paulo
Tutor Bio
I grew up in Nottinghamshire, England, in the district of Sherwood made famous by Robin Hood. I went to a very ordinary State school and studied for GCSEs and A-Levels (A-Levels is the IBDP equivalent). After school, I attended Leicester University, where I studied English for three years. I took a year out to travel around Asia and South America before going to Nottingham University to train as a teacher. I taught English for three years in London, then decided to work in Peru for a year. One year became seven, and I married a Peruvian, and she started dragging me around the world, first to Colombia, then to the Philippines, and now to Brazil. I've been teaching in IB schools the entire time, so I've worked with students from a wide range of nationalities and cultural backgrounds. Beyond school, I'm into SCUBA diving, amateur guitar, and sports. I'm still just about young enough to survive a weekly football game (or soccer, if you insist). Tutor Introduction
Teaching Experience
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2021-Present @ German European School Manila, Philippines
IBDP English Teacher
I taught English Language and Literature IBDP courses at SL and HL, English IGCSE Language and Literature courses, and Cambridge Lower Secondary English. I also supervised IBDP Extended Essays. The first half of the school year was spent teaching online before moving to hybrid classes. I developed knowledge of various platforms and teaching routines to engage learners in distanced learning. The new challenges informed and improved my practice in face-to-face classes.
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2018-2020 @ The English School, Bogota, Colombia
Head of Secondary School English
I worked at The English School, Bogota, Colombia, as Head of Secondary School English. I had my first experience teaching the MYP and continued to teach IBDP English Language and Literature SL and HL and supervise Extended Essays. As the leader of a team of 14 teachers, I demonstrated reliability, responsibility, and a professional attitude, and the staff found me to be a supportive line manager. I led collaborative planning and moderation sessions, provided PD workshops, and was also responsible for performance management within the department. I gained experience in teacher recruitment, managing a budget, and preparing and following an action plan. Additionally, I oversaw the implementation of the new guides for IBDP English A courses (first examination 2021). Through IB Professional Services I completed online courses in DP and MYP Language and Literature, as well as MYP Language Acquisition. I was part of the Pedagogical Leadership Team and a member of the Academic Council. In early 2020 I qualified as an IBDP examiner for English A Language and Literature.
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2011-2018 @ San Silvestre School, Lima, Peru
English Teacher
During 7 years at San Silvestre, I taught every course offered by the English department to 11-18 year-olds. This included teaching English IGCSE (First and Second Language courses and English Literature) and IBDP English A: Language and Literature at HL. I attended several professional development workshops (focuses included ATLs, AFL, the student-centered classroom, visual thinking, and the use of ICT). For six years, I was San Silvestre’s interschool debate coordinator for the British Schools of Peru partnership, including a year as Chairperson overseeing the organization of debates at all host schools. I contributed substantially to the development of our teaching material and was made a mentor to new staff members.
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2010-2011 @ Hillingdon Tuition Centre, Hayes, England
English Teacher
As the only English teacher at this Pupil Referral Unit, I adapted the GCSE course to suit the new AQA syllabus. I re-wrote the department’s long and medium-term plans for all-year groups in preparation for an OFSTED inspection. My teaching was graded as ‘good with outstanding features. There were frequent meetings with parents, regular after-school tutorials with students, and safeguarding training sessions with other staff.
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2007-2010 @ Wembley High Technology College, London, England
English Teacher
I taught English to all-year groups at this ‘outstanding’ inner-London school, and my teaching was graded as ‘good’ in the department reviews. I completed my NQT year in July 2008
Education
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University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
PGCE English
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University of Leicester, Leicester, England
BA in English Language
Teaching Skills
English Language A Language and Literature HL
English Language A Language and Literature SL
English Language A Literature HL
English Language A Literature SL
Extended Essay (EE)
Individual Oral (IO)
English
English
Diploma Programme
Middle Years Programme
Primary Years Programme
Tutor Teaching Style
In the classroom, I'm very much into the idea of student-centered learning, and I organize lots of group work so that my students learn to work in teams and think for themselves. This has to be slightly different from tutoring since the sessions are usually one-to-one. I like to give the individual student plenty of thinking time and a range of guiding questions. Even though there's only one student in the class, the talking time shouldn't be dominated by the tutor.
I'd want to hear the student talk about the things they've been reading and studying and to find out what they know about the course their classroom teacher has planned. I would like to discuss a literary or non-literary text with a student to get an impression of their strengths and areas for improvement. If the student wants to go ahead with tutoring sessions, I would ask them to write about the text, so I can see their level and give feedback.
My students are given thinking time and are encouraged to discuss. I offer suggestions, questions, and opinions to argue in favor of or against; I don't provide answers for the student to memorize. I don't offer formulas for responding to exam questions because I don't believe these exist. I'll give some suggestions for writing structure and explain what should be included to meet the marking criteria. Still, ultimately, IB student needs to be able to think for themselves and respond to whatever they're faced with in an exam.
IB courses are demanding, and the assessments are complex. I motivate students through feedback, giving praise where it's due, and offering practical advice that the student can understand and work on to improve.
When a student has difficulty with a skill, the tutoring sessions can be used to revisit it and practice. It's also possible to adapt the response method, swapping writing for speaking, presenting for arguing, etc.
One thing that can be done here, particularly for students taking the MYP, is to suggest books that can be read for pleasure, focusing on reading as something that should be enjoyable. Tutoring sessions can be used for reading together and discussing what the student understands. As a tutor, I can offer statements about the text for the student to argue in favor of or against.
I like to begin with a short text, usually a poem, and see what the student can make of it. This often works best if the student can discuss with their peers, but I can offer a set of opinions for the student to agree with or disagree with, and I will always allow plenty of thinking time.
I feel as though my enthusiasm for literature can be infectious. But it's also essential the student understands where they are making improvements. The little things that are done well will be noticed and praised.
I like to offer a differentiated range of questions, presented visually and in no particular order. The student can then select and respond to the questions they are most comfortable with, and we can go on to discuss the most challenging questions.
Similar to how I motivate students through feedback, their confidence can be built through verbal and written feedback. When a student responds effectively to a discussion, they should be told. The tutor should recognize when a student improves on a skill by acting on written feedback.
I would evaluate what a student needs through my initial discussion about their IB course and how their classroom teacher has planned it. I would also see what they can contribute verbally, evaluate how much thinking time they need and if they use thinking time effectively. I would also want to see their written work as soon as possible.
I can differentiate my questioning and provide questions both verbally and in writing. I can give scaffolding activities if students need to improve their analytical writing.
I usually use a visual display such as PowerPoint or the built-in presentation tool with the video-call suite. I often look at past exam papers with students. I use a live document with students for note-taking and things like the HL Essay so that I can add my notes and feedback. If the student is studying literature, I will use a PDF if the same edition of the physical copy is not available to use both.
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