UQ PhD student with 6+ years of teaching experience gives English and Literacy tutoring in Brisbane

Find out more about Jas

• When did you develop an interest in your chosen field and in private tutoring?

  I've loved English my whole life, but had studied teaching early in university before deciding my real passion was literature and research. I also love writing, but researching was what I really found as my niche. Tutoring came naturally after I'd been teaching and studying, and was another opportunity to spend time doing something that I love, and I find it particularly rewarding to be able to help students gain skills I know they'll be able to use in future studies, professional settings, wherever. Written and spoken expression is so important, and it's really tough to fix your own work if you don't know what to look for--that's the other thing I love, is seeing people grow more confident in their own abilities and their ability to edit and improve on their own.

• Tell us more about the subject you teach, the topics you like to discuss with students (and possibly those you like a little less).

  I teach any subject that incorporates English--this might be high school, university, or postgraduate. I have students from age 12 who's doing grade 7 English, to a postgraduate Mechanical Engineering student who needs help with his written expression and structure of essays. English really comes into all subjects, so even though I don't love maths or science (and truly am not talented in them), I'm able to help the student explain their concept eloquently and completely.
  
  Generally, I also try to incorporate general knowledge into my lessons, by using real-world or current-event examples to explain concepts or new language. Things are much trickier to understand if you're not familiar with current events / huge cultural phenomena, so linking these in helps bridge the space between student and teacher, and also solidifies the concepts I'm trying to teach.

• Did you have any role models; a teacher that inspired you?

  I've had lots of wonderful teachers. Some people I've met at university have really impacted me, especially people who have marked my work or supervised me through a thesis. Sometimes this was really tough, getting hard feedback and having to be really critical of my work, but it's ultimately made me a better student, and, I hope, a better teacher.

• What do you think are the qualities required to be a good tutor?

  I think it's different for everyone, and everyone has to find their own approach. My personal list of things someone would need is patience, and enjoyment of the subject they teach, as well as a willingness to change their approach based on individual students' needs. Some students learn the same way I do, with note-taking and lots of drafting. Other students learn much more through discussion and collaborative approaches, so it's important to be mindful of everyone's learning style so you can really find what helps the student best.

• Provide a valuable anecdote related to your subject or your days at school.

  As I mentioned earlier, I've had some tough feedback on my work before. A particular memory is when I submitted an essay feeling pretty good about it, only to get it back and to have not done anywhere near as well as I'd hoped. It was a bit disheartening to think I hadn't understood the work as well as I thought I did, and particularly because I really respected my tutor, so wanted to do well in their class. I think that did affect the way I approached things, though--I tried to take on feedback more seriously, and work more intensely through editing drafts. Now, that's one of my most favoured approaches--write, edit, rewrite, repeat.

• What were the difficulties or challenges you faced or are still facing in your subject?

  I love English, so don't find too many difficulties anymore. I think with work in general, and certainly as you go through school / university, it does start to feel more overwhelming in terms of what you've got to get done. I also find that I like to feel like I'm constantly 'ahead' in my work, and even though I know I'll get it done, I can't stand being (or feeling) behind--that's something I'm still trying to work on.

• Do you have a particular passion? Is it teaching in general or an element of the subject or something completely different?

  I love teaching, and I love my research. The joy of researching for me is being able to combine some really complex ideas about what's being published right now, and explain them through writing. It can be fairly niche sometimes, particularly when you do a PhD, but I love doing something that contributes to a field of scholarship, and particularly that I get to work through these ideas in writing.

• What makes you a Superprof (besides answering these interview questions 😜)?

  I've never been super comfortable talking about myself, but I do have confidence in my ability to teach. The experience I've gained over the last five years has shown me that I am truly dedicated to my students, and I can scaffold their learning to the point that they're confident on their own, and able to push themselves and their work further. I also think that I'm fairly flexible with my approach and whether it's face to face learning, remote editing, or something else, I try to always make it work for the student.