Traditio

My Summary

My Experience

I have nearly 30 years' experience tutoring and teaching learners of all ages, from kindergarten to adult education; in sixth form colleges and on graduate courses, in state, private and home schooling environments.

I have several teaching qualifications, but the main core of my teaching approach comes from the liberal arts approach. I firmly believe in a sound foundation of logic, grammar and rhetoric as the basis for a disciplined approach to understanding. And I encourage learning through the nurturing of natural inquisitiveness, confidence building, developing an eagerness for discovery. I take a holistic approach to dealing with students who appear unmotivated to learn, or have been put off learning by uninspiring teachers.

I am a parent as well as an educationalist and understand the frustrations parents sometimes have with an increasingly regimented schooling system, as well as the challenges that teachers face within that system. I aim to provide practical solutions that empower children to cope with learning both within and without the school environment.

My approach is rooted in sound educational practice, has grown through a wealth of experience and is nurtured with a good dose of common sense. It is organic and constantly evolving.

My Qualifications

MA in the History of Design, V&A/RCA, London

Graduate of Trinity College of London (GTCL(Hons) - Undergraduate music degree - piano, harpsichord, music theory) with a specialist interest in voice

Licentiate of Trinity College London (LTCL - Music teaching diploma - piano, music theory)

Licentiate of the Royal Academy of Music (LRAM - Music teaching diploma - piano, music theory)

City and Guilds 7307 Adult and Further Education Teaching Certificate

Vocal Pedagogy for the 21st Century Course, Princeton University, USA

Vocational voice training and presentation courses taken through the British Voice Association, London

Runge Balliol Effective Leadership Course, Oxford

My Availability

I tutor at home (Wimbledon Park, London) and on Skype for foreign students. I do not travel to students' houses.

My Fees

A one-off consultation session typically lasts one hour and costs £50.

Regular 1:1 sessions of 45 minutes are booked in 10-week stretches, payable in advance at £40 per session.

Regular 1:2 sessions of 1 hour are booked in 10-week stretches, payable in advance at £35 per session.

Regular 1:3 sessions of 1 hour are booked in 10-week stretches, payable in advance at £30 per session.

Cancellations for reasons other than sickness are not refundable, but sessions can be rearranged within a 12-week window which is usually term-based.


Skype Sessions:

I tutor overseas students via Skype.
I speak 5 languages (English, Russian, French, Italian and Arabic, with a working knowledge of Spanish and German).
I only teach in English.

An initial consultation session which typically lasts one hour costs £50.
This allows Leon to get to know a bit about each student and for each student to get to try out a session and see how it works.
During the session, the student's level of language and thinking skills will be assessed and key target achievements identified to work on.

Based on this individual assessment, a series of lessons will be agreed.
What happens in a session?

(1) Preparation
A piece of preparatory work will be emailed out to the student ahead of the lesson.
It could be a passage of fiction or non-fiction, a puzzle, a riddle, or a creative task.
I always try to link material to the subjects that most interest each student.

(2) During the session, which typically lasts 45 minutes, the student will discuss the work.
Spoken and written language exercises will be based on how they express themselves.
A live Skype session typically includes conversation work, pronunciation work, grammar, spelling, communication and thinking skills.
I am a qualified Voice Teacher and work as an oracy consultant in schools, so provide an all-round service in terms of communicating your thoughts in English clearly and effectively.

(3) After the session, a piece of written homework is given to assess learning and a new piece of preparatory work issued for the next session.

Regular 1:1 sessions which include preparation, teaching and marking time cost £60, usually payable in advance in series of 6.