Patricia Hope, Empowering Learning

I’m a patient, respectful, kind and cheerful tutor, and aim for each student to enjoy their sessions with me while gaining confidence and ability.

I always watch the child carefully for full engagement and when that is waning switch activities to continue the learning process in a different way. Learning doesn’t take place without enjoyment.

I live in Crowborough, East Sussex, England and travel to my student’s homes within a 30-minute driving distance radius.

My Experience

I’ve 30 years experience teaching all ages from age 2 to adults, but mainly the primary years. I’ve taught in England, USA and Kuwait; in schools, home education, small family groups, and individual tutoring sessions.

I’m also a qualified teacher of hearing-impaired children with a knowledge of BSL & Signed Support English.

I left teaching because I didn’t want to be part of a system that failed to meet so many children’s needs, and I now work as a Private Home Tutor specialising in giving children the confidence they need to succeed.

I help children with overcoming their blocks to learning, lack of confidence, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Dyscalculia, Dysgraphia, ADD, ADHD, Deafness (BSL), Anxiety, Aspergers, Downs Syndrome and other disabilities. I also understand how nutrition and diet affect learning.

How I Work During a Face to Face Session

I tutor using my student’s preferred learning style, which could be visual, auditory, or kinaesthetic (or a combination).

I bring everything I need for the lesson, but your child will need to have a glass of water to drink at the start. This is because it is the first exercise of the Brain Gym exercises. Certain movements of the body help optimal learning by integrating the right- and left-brain and help it to focus.

I also use therapeutic grade essential oils. I encourage the children to sniff from the bottles. The therapeutic properties are carried by the scent into the limbic part of the brain, helping to calm any anxiety and sharpen focus.

With parents permission, I may use EFT tapping or AFT  (Aroma Freedom Technique) to help overcome blocks to learning.

I treat children with the same respect as adults. I have found that punishment is unnecessary when there is mutual respect between adults and children. I have noticed that children are very capable when given the chance to live and learn at their own pace.

Reading, Writing and Spelling

Some children find learning to read easy and need little instruction this is likely due to them having a good visual memory. Some need to be specifically taught the mechanics of how words are constructed in order to understand how to write and spell and therefore decode words on their own.

I use a very effective comprehensive discreet phonics system (the Orton-Gillingham method) that develops excellent listening and processing skills. This program is a complete phonetic system which teaches about 75 common spellings for the 42 sounds of speech in a multi-sensory way. These are all the sounds needed to say one-half million English words. It is a reliable beginning for learning to spell, write, read and think. 

I’ve had excellent results with this approach because the children come to differentiate the sounds within words and know what letter or group of letters make that sound and the different rules for their use. This ensures that not only are they able to read better but able to write and spell words they have not seen before. And thus their confidence grows.

Research has shown that the Orton-Gillian method is the only one that enables people with dyslexia to succeed.

I integrate cursive handwriting with the program which enables the child to write without strain and develop pride in their presentation. 

During the course of this, I also focus on sentence construction and vocabulary building to help with creative writing.

Here is a great game I often play at the end of the sessions. It promotes strategy and spellings and noticing words from a jumble of letters.

When children have completed this programme we go onto another very exciting part of the English language, which is examining English from the roots up. That is exploring the Greek and Roman root works and all their derivations. This gives children mastery over the English language. I have not met a child who does not enjoy discovering this information.

Maths

The fast pace of the British National Curriculum leaves no time for the child who needs longer to assimilate information, especially if they learn better with more concrete, hands-on practical experience. They are moved onto the next concept in the National Curriculum before they have fully understood and experienced that previous one.

This results in children in the later primary years struggling to understand what they are being taught.

Therefore, I give my students many hands-on experiences using materials I bring to the sessions. This ensures they have a good foundation on which to build the higher level concepts they are being taught in class. And thus their confidence grows.

Online Tutoring

You don’t have to live near me to access my services as I also tutor online both Maths and English.

I offer an hour or half-hour sessions. Half hour sessions are very productive because they are focussed. This is only feasible online (unless you come to my home).

Both Maths and English sessions are still hand-on for the learner. Contact me for more information on these.

Fees

I charge £35 per hour. I invoice a month in advance via email for bank transfers.

I work through the school holidays and the family is welcome to change the day and or time of sessions during these periods if they wish.

Cancellation of a session with more than 48 hours notice incurs a £10 ph retainer fee. Cancellation with less than 48 hours incurs the full fee.

 If you have questions or want to make contact here you go

• • Tuition in your home
  • Tuition at my home
  • Tuition at Your Child’s School
  • Online Reading Tutor
  • Online Handwriting Tutor
  • Online Spelling and Writing Tutor
  • Primary Maths Tutor
  • Online Primary Maths Tutor
  • Primary Spelling / Phonics Tutor
  • Online Spelling/Phonics Tutor
  • Online Orton-Gillingham Tutor
  • Primary Reading Tutor
  • Primary Writing Tutor
  • Orton-Gillingham Tutor

• • Helping Children With ADHD / ADD / Dyslexia / Dyspraxia / Aspergers / Mild Autism / Downs Syndrome / Anxiety /  Special Education Needs (SEN) / Specific Learning Difficulties

• • Tuition of children with Hearing Difficulties Using BSL & Signed Support English

• • EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique)

• • Essential Oils To Support Learning

• • Brain Gym®

• • Left & Right Brain Integration

• • Home Education Consultations

• • Nutritional Advice for Learning
  • Nutritional Advice for Behaviour