The Clara James Approach to learning

Dawn Strachan

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. 

  1. 13h ago

    Tutoring and a chat: posting on social media

    You have committed to getting started on your tutoring business. You have seen the posts that tell you that you can have the best tutoring business that there is, but if people don’t know about it, it will never grow. You will never succeed. So, you commit to posting on social media. You sit down ready to start. A blank-screen stares back at you, mocking you, reminding you of all the things you don’t want to say, but it doesn’t help you by inspiring you of what you should say. Instead, it fills you with fear of sounding salesy, desperate, unprofessional... These are the opening lines of my latest blog. If you want to read the full post, you will find it here: The Clara James Tutor's Membership Group I hope you find it helpful and good luck on your journey as a tutor

    Tutoring and a chat: posting on social media

  2. Oct 27

    Tutoring and a chat: growing the business one small step at a time

    I never really intended tutoring. A friend suggested I might enjoy it, so I finally gave it a go. When I started I had no idea what was expected from a tutor; I was a mum of 3 teenage children, I had worked in various childcare/educational settings for over a decade, I had done a degree through the open university and numerous other courses on learning styles. But what parents expected from a tutor, I had no idea about. So, a friend and I brainstormed what we thought the answer to the questions was and that became the foundations of the business. I had SO many questions and so few answers. So a couple of years later, I wrote a book to answer those questions to hopefully help others out. Tutoring can be quite isolating, so I got in touch with other tutors in the area and asked if they wanted to join together every couple of weeks or so to brainstorm and support each other. The answer was a unanimous NO! Why would you help your competition? So, I put the idea to the back of my mind. But never out of my mind. I kept pushing forward with the tutoring, 1 step at a time. I never had a business plan or a clear path, I just kept doing what I thought was right to help the children I was working with and others wanting to get into tutoring. I now have a team of 12 tutors working with me in the local area. The business has formed the foundations of  a franchise and yesterday I worked with someone to get our tutor training accredited to support those who want to become tutors either independently, or through the franchise. 14+ years ago did I think any of this was possible? No. Can I believe it has happened? No. But it has and it has happened by constantly taking 1 small step at a time to see what comes next. If any of this might be of use to you moving forwards, I hope this helps: clarajamestutoring.co.uk/thinking-of-becoming-a-tutor

  3. Oct 21

    Tutoring and a chat: creating lesson plans

    Clara has been working with me on the launch of the new membership for tutors (Join our franchise and build a flexible tutoring business) that we are launching in November. Life is full on right now but it’s exciting. I think starting something new always is. When I first started tutoring, I used to do a formal lesson plan that I would then send onto the parents. I would state that it was just meant as a guide, but it gave them an overview of our goals for that session, keeping them in the loop. But for me it also gave me confidence that I had more than enough resources for the session and I also had everything with me. Yes, you could say it’s the child’s responsibility to have pen, paper, calculator, but it makes you look a lot more organised/professional if you have the equipment with you to do the tasks that you have planned. Over the years most parents have said they don’t need to see it, so I rarely send it ahead of the lessons these days, but it does help you to concentrate on that child and what would work for them rather than falling into the habit of just regurgitating the same lesson for everyone.

  4. Oct 20

    Tutoring and a chat: Flying Folders, Chewed Shoes and the Marketing That Changed Everything

    I've been tutoring for about 14 and a half years now, and in that time I've had some wonderful experiences, met some fantastic families and had quite a few moments that you really couldn't make up. Today, I thought I'd share three of those moments with you. There's the time a folder full of paperwork went flying across a farm, the time a dog decided to redesign my shoe, and the time two little magnets on the side of my car helped change the direction of my business. They might sound like three completely unrelated stories, but I think they all tell us something about what it's really like to run a tutoring business. And particularly that sometimes the things we worry about most aren't the things that matter, while the simplest ideas can make an enormous difference. (If you are interested in joining the new community/membership, here's the link with more details: Join our franchise and build a flexible tutoring business)

  5. Oct 13

    Tutoring and a chat: Can I become a tutor?

    If you are thinking about becoming a tutor you probably have questions: Do I need to be a teacher? Do I need a degree? Am I too young/too old? What if I've only helped my own children? Do I need to know every subject? Can I get started with just a few hours a week? In this episode I answer these questions with what I've learned since I started Clara James Tutoring 14+ years ago.  If you are thinking about becoming a tutor and would like some support, we will help you in any way we can: clarajamestutoring.co.uk/thinking-of-becoming-a-tutor

  6. Oct 6

    Tutoring and a chat: when a small problem becomes a big issue...

    When a Child Won't Do the Work — Have We Asked Why? What happens when a child doesn't understand something but doesn't feel confident enough to ask for help? In this episode, I reflect on two recent conversations that got me thinking about children's confidence, communication and the expectations we sometimes place on them. I share the story of a child whose whiteboard pen stopped working during a lesson, and how something seemingly insignificant became a much bigger emotional challenge. We also explore why children who are struggling can sometimes appear to be refusing to work, how misunderstandings between adults and children can escalate, and the opportunities we have as tutors to approach learning differently. This isn't about criticising teachers. It's about recognising the pressures of a busy classroom and the advantages we have when working with children individually. Because sometimes, before we can help a child move forward, we need to understand what's stopping them. Sometimes the lesson needs to change, not the child.

  7. Oct 6

    Tutoring and a Chat: From One Tutor to Clara James The Story Behind the Franchise

    Earlier today I unexpectedly had an hour free and, rather than doing something particularly sensible with it, I decided to go Live on Facebook.  Nobody joined me... So I spent about 15 minutes happily talking to myself about how Clara James started, where it's got to, and where I hope it's going. And afterwards I thought actually, that's a story I've never really told properly here. So that's what today's episode is. There's nothing I'm trying to sell you. I just want to tell you the story behind Clara James.

  8. Sep 29

    Tutoring and a chat: tutor the child not what you learned in a course

    I was asked recently what I understand about educating children with autism and ADHD. And my immediate thought was: I don't want to know how to teach “a child with ADHD”. I want to know how to teach the child sitting in front of me. Of course training matters. Understanding autism, ADHD, dyslexia and other forms of neurodivergence gives us knowledge, strategies and a much bigger toolkit. But a diagnosis doesn't introduce us to the child. Around 20 years ago, I went into my daughter's school because I thought she might be mildly dyslexic. I was essentially told dyslexia was an excuse for laziness. Around the same time, I volunteered in a classroom with children with ADHD where the approach was largely shouting, control and demanding discipline. Thankfully, we've moved on enormously since then. But I sometimes wonder whether there's another trap we need to avoid: “I've done a course on ADHD, so I know how to teach children with ADHD.” To me, that's a little like saying: “I've worked with a child who has freckles, so I know how to support children with freckles.” We're missing the most important bit. The individual. Two autistic children aren't the same. Two children with ADHD aren't the same. Two dyslexic children aren't the same. One child might thrive with games; another might hate them. One might struggle to write but have incredible ideas verbally. One might need movement; another might need calm and predictability. Training should give us more possibilities to consider, not more assumptions to make. At Clara James, that's what being SEND-informed means to me. Have the knowledge. Build the toolkit. But then get to know the person sitting in front of you. And if something isn't working, don't automatically ask how we can make the child fit the lesson. Sometimes we need to recognise that the lesson needs to change, not the child.

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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. 

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