Jonathan W

Having taught for 10 years at Riverston School, a small independent school that prides itself on their inclusive nature and bespoke leaning, I have devoted myself to teaching students with special educational needs. I have taught students with dyslexia, dyspraxia, ADHD, ASC, Downs syndrome, visual/hearing impairment, oppositional defiant disorder, pathological demand avoidance as well as attachment disorder and behavioural/emotional complexities. The small class sizes, from three to twelve students, allowed me to instil a more nurturing approach to teaching in order to accommodate each individual students’ needs. Not only have I learnt to tailor lessons, but I have become more resilient and more sensitive towards students’ behavioural and emotional needs.

How I teach students with Autism

I have come to understand that every case of Autism is wholly unique. No student with a diagnosis thinks or behaves the same way as another. It is crucial to first become familiar with students, to build a rapport, to learn about their likes, dislikes and special interests, and what makes them comfortable before moving forward with lesson planning. Patience is key in teaching those who might struggle with confidence or processing, and offering structure, scaffolding, sentence starters, detailed planning and visual aids all contribute to facilitating learning.

How I teach students with ADD/ADHD

Keeping tasks short, fun and engaging is important. Chunking tasks and learning, creating tactile resources for sorting have proven to work effectively in past lessons. When energy levels begin to interfere with learning, movement breaks, stretches or short games are great ways to refocus students to continue working.

How I teach English

My passion for writing has allowed me to show students the skill necessary for planning, executing and editing longer pieces of work. By understanding my students’ preferred genres, I teach them to love writing the things they would enjoy reading. I encourage mistakes and reassure that no piece of writing is perfect the first time. When tackling GCSE or Functional Skills, I always aim to make mark schemes clear so students are aware what is required of them, as well as introduce exemplars of students’ work with examiners marks to show the quality of answers needed. I always encourage students to read what they enjoy, whether it is fiction, classics, magazines or comics, as long as I am able to instil a passion for reading.

How I teach French

My approach to French tends to be thematic, selecting a topic and incorporating necessary skills like verb tenses, possessive pronouns and vocabulary within it. Like my approach with GCSE English, I will make the exam criteria explicit and closely work through past papers to practise questions and skills that will be covered. I remind students that learning a language has practical, real-life application, and that discovering another culture through their language is an amazing thing.