The Clara James Approach to learning
When it comes to learning we are all individuals.
The past 20+ years have taught me that no matter our learning style if the child is engaged and relaxed they are more likely to learn.
If we just keep giving them the same resources, varied over and over again, all we are doing is giving them one place in their brains to find the information. However, by giving them a variety of resources we can make it more interesting, more relevant, and help them to create multiple memories so that when they need to recall the information, they have more places they can go to in order to find it.
If we can boost their confidence as well as their knowledge we will make their life and ours easier.
For 20 years now I've been fascinated by different learning styles: ASD, Dyslexia, ADHD. The purpose of this podcast is to share my findings with you, so that maybe what I've learned will be of help to you too.
Episodes
31 episodes
Do I need to be a qualified teacher to become a tutor? 🤔
The short answer? No — you don’t need to be a qualified teacher to make a real difference as a tutor. At Clara James Tutoring, we believe what matters most is your passion, your ability to explain things clearly, and your desire to support chil...
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16:55
Multiplying by 9
I love the 9x table because there are so many hints to help you to solve the questions. Things like when you hold your hands out in front of you, put the finger related to the number you are multiplying by down, and your answer is there in fron...
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4:03
Keep taking small steps forward - even when you think no one else is listening
In this week’s episode, I’m sharing something a little more personal. After recording several weekly episodes and seeing very few listens, I found myself wondering if anyone’s actually out there — and whether it’s worth continuing.If you...
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3:58
Why Confidence Is Just as Important as Knowing the Answer
In this episode, we explore the idea that confidence is just as important as knowing the answer. So often, children feel like they’re “bad at maths” or “not good at English” simply because they lack belief in themselves. But when...
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5:56
This week in Clara James Tutoring
I had intended chatting about something different, but my editing software wouldn't work and I was creating this as well, so I thought why not...This week has been a great week with the proof copy "Become a Tutor" dropping through the do...
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4:46
Prime Numbers
Prime numbers are numbers with only two factors. This basically means numbers which you will only find in the 1 times table of their own times table. For example, 5 is prime because it is only in the 5- and 1-times table, where are 10 is in the...
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4:50
Tales from Tutoring: The good, the bad and the unforgettable...
The Realities of Tutoring — Triumphs, Challenges & Unexpected LessonsIn this episode, I’m sharing a deeply personal collection of stories from my years as a tutor — the lessons learned, the battles fought, and the beautiful br...
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13:33
Trying to remove the dread of reading out loud...
I was talking about reading the other day with a mum. Very often the challenge isn’t just in finding something that they are willing to read, but in the actual act of reading itself. A lot of children struggle with read...
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6:06
3 stupid things I did when I first started tutoring
When I started Clara James Tutoring back in 2012, my background was education not business and I was incredibly susceptible to mistakes and being led on a wild goose chase... So, from trying to keep the business quiet to nearly bein...
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14:28
The importance of play into learning and boosting confidence
There's a few things that I'm opinionated on and the importance of making learning fun and relevant comes very high up on that list.When I started studying supporting different learning styles over 25 years ago, one of the things I learn...
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8:44
How I Started My Tutoring Business with No Confidence and Built It Anyway
"you're not as clever as your brother", "I don't think you have what it takes to work in a school", "who are you to teach me?!"Confidence is not a strong point of mind, I have this huge sense of inadequacy. But when a friend suggested I ...
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10:06
Supporting a primary school child with comprehension
I was asked the other day about supporting a 10 year old with comprehension. My initial response was to brain dump everything then use that as a guide to pull it all together..However, here is my actual advice. I hope it helps. ...
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5:33
Our hope is to give you even better support
Not everyone has a printer...So, we have introduced a premium level to the Clara James Approach so that we can send you a printed copy of the resources each month with a few other extra bonuses.You would also have access to a 1-to-1 mon...
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6:38
Building confidence in maths with your child at home
I think many of us have a fear of maths which we then unintentionally pass on to our children.However, there are things we can do which will help avoid that fear. A big part of that is to make it creative, fun, quality time that you can sha...
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8:28
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Effective Revision Techniques for your GCSE exams
In this episode, we dive into revision strategies for English, tackling both general revision tips and specific advice for English subjects. Whether you’re just starting your revision journey or looking for ways to boost your effectiveness, thi...
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13:13
Interview with Claire: A GCSE English Teacher and Examiner
Claire is amazing, with 10 years of experience under her belt there's not a huge amount she doesn't seem to know and she's also happy to share her knowledge which I am truly thankful for.In this episode she share some of her insights in...
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40:35
Multiplying 11 by double digits
A few weeks ago, I was working with a lad, he’s brilliant, he’s just finished his GCSEs. We had just a couple of minutes left of the lesson, so we decided on a game of times-tables-noughts-and-crosses.I pulled up the grid and asked what ...
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2:10
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A quick tip for GCSE English Literature - analysing the texts
This is a tip I was given by a lad I was working with last year. It was a suggestion made to him by his English teacher at school. I thought I would pass it on to you as well.I hope it helps. Good luck with the exams
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3:12
The Customer Journey
Imagine a family has decided to take the plunge and invest in a tutor for their child. It’s not something they’ve ever done before and they’re not sure what to expect. There are so many tutors out there. How should they decide!There are ...
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8:40
Into the Negative Zone: Demystifying Negative Numbers
Welcome to the Clara James Podcast, where we delve into Maths, English, and tutoring. Today's focus is on negative numbers, a topic that stumps many students.Let’s use an analogy involving earth mounds and holes to understand negative n...
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11:16
Learning individual letter sounds
Today, let's talk about teaching children the sounds of individual letters like 'a' instead of just their names. This is crucial because when kids learn to read, knowing the sound 'a' makes in words like "apple" is more helpful than simply reco...
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5:54
Adding and subtracting fractions with the same denominator
Good morning, welcome back to our podcast. I was absent last week due to a business retreat and personal celebrations. The highlight from the retreat was a realisation: I can sell our tutoring franchise because selling is simply solving someone...
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4:56
Supporting your child in telling the time
Today, let's talk about telling time. March's bundle from James' cloud series focuses on this skill, so it seemed fitting to discuss it here too.I work with a boy who struggles to tell time. He relies on his phone or Alexa but doesn't s...
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6:51
