A bit about Jennifer O

I have several years experience working in a very high achieving school teaching OCR Psychology at AS and A level and AQA Sociology at GCSE and A level as well as working as an Examiner for both subjects. I also taught Citizenship at GCSE and A Level in my role and I was head of subject for Sociology as well as working as a subject mentor helping to train new Social Science teachers. I now enjoy working from home as a tutor including tutoring English KS3 and KS4 online for the national tutoring programme and still work as an examiner for AQA fitting my hours around my family life. I am very easy to talk to and tailor my approach to each individual and their needs. My degree is in Psychology but I have equal experience of teaching both Psychology and Sociology at GCSE and A Level and was head of subject for Sociology during my teaching career. I have an interest in all aspects of Social Science and also work as an examiner for AQA Sociology. I also have experience teaching beyond my specialism and have taught Citizenship at GCSE and A level too and have worked as an English tutor for the national tutoring programme too. My lessons are very much tailored to the individual and their needs. In a lesson I usually spend some time recapping previous work, moving on with some new learning whether than be subject content or help with exam skills and also include activities for my students so they are actively learning in our sessions not just listening to me talk! I have been tutoring on and off for around 5 years, most recently working as an online tutor for the national tutoring programme. My teaching style is quite relaxed and very much tailored to the individual I am working with. My aim is always to ensure the students I am working with are getting the most out of their sessions and will adapt to their learning styles and be lead by their needs throughout our time working together. I don't believe in a 'one-size-fits-all' approach to learning. The thing I love most about Psychology and Sociology is that the learning throughout these subjects can be seen clearly in our own experiences of the world. Understanding people and the systems we live in is fascinating to me. My favourite thing about being a tutor is being able to offer a tailored learning experience for my students in a way that cannot be achieved in a usual classroom situation. Helping students make progress and overcome difficulties is my motivation. I believe we never stop learning no matter how old we are and that learning is a lifelong journey. Sparking interest and a desire to learn is so important and I believe the approach to how everyone learns is very individual. I think students appreciate my down to earth style of teaching and the fact that I am very approachable means they feel able to clarify misunderstandings, feel happy to make mistakes and learn from them and hopefully feel supported throughout to reach their full potential. I think my greatest teaching success has been watching students I have taught go on to further their studies at University and being able to pass on my love of my subject and fostering that in my students is very rewarding to see them go on and succeed in their chosen career paths. I have a Bsc Hons in Psychology and a Secondary Social Science PGCE as well as 5 years teaching experience and 7 years experience as an examiner for AQA. From being a very young child I have always wanted to be a teacher. Helping others is in my nature and fostering a desire for learning in young people is something I am passionate about. I believe education opens doors in many ways both academically but also in helping people reach their full potential as an individual. I have experience of teaching GCSE and A Level AQA Sociology and OCR Psychology and have worked as an examiner for AQA Sociology for 7 years. However I am happy to tutor beyond these exam boards as my experience in my teaching career and as an examiner means I am able to interpret demands of different examinations. Outside of teaching I spend my time looking after my young children, my two dogs and baking celebration cakes. I also enjoy reading, listening to podcasts and spinning classes!