Let's get one thing clear straight away, I love Geography, big time. I've travelled round the world in search of geography, I've been teaching it for longer than I care to remember not only in the UK but also in Latin America.

 

My love of Geography has taken me to the craters of active volcanoes and into earthquake zones, it's taken me through the streets of the dirtiest shanty towns and into the front rooms of former guerrilla leaders. So you see, there's much more to geography than the case studies in your text book. It's all around us, it's in the news each and every day - and that's what the examiners want to hear. If you can convince them you can see the big picture and go beyond the (sometimes rather limited) remit of the text book, that elusive A or A* is well within your grasp.

I've a degree in Geography and Landscape studies from the University of Southampton, a diploma in Third World Studies from the Open University and an MSc in Latin American Politics from the University of London.

Having been in academia for the best part of twenty five years I have a first-hand knowledge of the exam system and the way in which it works (or, occasionally, the way in which it doesn't work).  Exam technique is a valuable skill which I impart to all my students: what to write and - perhaps more importantly - what not write and how to structure a top-grade answer. I focus on writing skills (and that includes use of effective English, spelling, grammar and the punctuation) and revision techniques.

I also have many years experience of supporting students with dyslexia, dyspraxia and ADHD (all of whom have gone on to university).

Teachers and tutors are not one and the same thing; a teacher has to focus on classroom control, a tutor is more of a coach whose role it is to get the best out of an individual or small group based on a shared enthusiasm for the subject and a desire not to accept second best.

Each lesson/programme is designed with the student's specific needs in mind - whether examinations, business or pleasure: it's your lesson after all! We use my experience (I have been successfully coaching students through the exam process for over ten years and marked exam papers in English, Spanish and Geography) to get the best out of you and, perhaps most importantly, improve your self-confidence. Remember, much as I'd love to, I can't sit the exam for you!

My lessons are dynamic, engaging and never - that's right, never - dull and boring; I just can't teach that way. Remember! This isn't school and I'm not your teacher; the learning experience is at its most effective a when both tutor and student are engaged in the subject and, dare I say it, even enjoying it!

Yours geographically

Sian Taylder

(aka The Geography Tutor)