Nicola Burkinshaw: Private Tutor
Welcome to my website! I am a private tutor specialising in English and history, as well as more general learning skills such as critical thinking and revision techniques. I have been teaching in and out of classrooms for more than twenty years and have worked with both children and adults. My focus is on building good habits and techniques to help students absorb knowledge and communicate it effectively. I have high expectations, but my focus is always on progress over perfection. Lessons are a mixture of engaging technology and traditional teaching and learning, always tailored towards the individual student.
While inevitably many of my students come to me for support in preparation for exams, for many it is also an opportunity to build on their cultural capital and engage in wider study of the arts and humanities. Students are encouraged to read and research beyond the curriculum and are given the skills to do this effectively and critically. For students who are particularly ambitious, take a look at the Beyond Exams page which includes a range of opportunities for further study.
Although all my lessons are online, I pride myself on the positive relationships I build with my students and their parents. Technology means I can be available to students around the world and provide a range of easily accessible learning materials, but also means that we are able to show off our pets to each other!
If you think your child would benefit from tuition with me, please do drop me an email or a WhatsApp.
How does tuition work?
All tuition is one-to-one and online. Every student has access to their own Miro board which allows us to write, share resources and upload documents. How the sessions go depends upon the student: if you require tuition to teach the entire course to a home-educated student then lessons will be very structured and have homework to consolidate learning; if you are accessing tuition to support schooling, lessons will be much more reactive, depending upon the particular needs of the student at that point.
English
Over the last decade of tutoring I have worked with a wide range of students: from those with severe learning difficulties to some who have gone to Oxbridge to continue their literary education. My focus is on clear, precise communication and the development of careful, analytical reading skills. Students learn the importance of the right word at the right time and the joy of poetic language used with flair.
Although I do tutor students through exams, I also offer more generalised tuition that encourages a love of reading and develops writing that is interesting, accurate, and complex.
History
An understanding of history is fundamental to understanding the world in which we live today. While students need to learn about the people and events of the past, they also need to learn how to analyse causes and evaluate significance. History lessons are an energetic, exciting mix of knowledge and skill development and students are always encouraged to learn beyond the specification to improve their understanding.
I tutor students at both GCSE and A Level and have covered most topics at some point! I have a particular interest in the first half of the twentieth century and am currently working on research on eighteenth and nineteenth century Britain.
Learning Skills
Revision is important but knowing how to revise effectively is vital. I work with students to develop their time management skills, learn how to prioritise, and introduce them to new revision techniques that ensure they progress.
Critical Thinking
It has been said that we are living in an age of intellectual obesity: there is information galore available to us but we tend to pick up the easily digestible, unchallenging stuff that floats around on the internet. In my lessons students have the opportunity to develop the skills to properly interrogate arguments and ideas, to research effectively, and to recognise the difference between fact and belief.
How do I know if it's for us?
If you're interested in tuition but not sure if it's right for you, get in touch via email and let me know what your requirements are. It's helpful to know if your child