Our tutors - martha gathercole

Martha - french and russian, University of oxford

Hi, I’m Martha! I’m a student at Christ Church, University of Oxford, studying French and Russian. I took French (A*), Spanish (A*), History (A*) and Maths (A*) at A-Level, as well as obtaining an A* in my EPQ.  

I have thoroughly enjoyed mentoring and tutoring people over the last few years, supporting both peers and younger students across a range of examinations. I love helping to develop the spark that pupils have for a subject, and turning it into focussed, accurate work and results. I have always loved the mathematical patterns of grammar in languages, as well as the rich plethora of literature that learning a foreign language opens up. It is a privilege to share this passion with other pupils and see their skills develop. 

An important priority to my lessons is consolidation: all work from previous lessons is reviewed the next lesson to encourage rewarding, long-lasting skills rather than crammed knowledge. This allows my teaching to be flexible - we can move at the rate the pupil requires, without key gaps in knowledge opening up. This is especially important for languages which are fundamentally based on both consolidation and progression. I have experience in speaking French and Spanish in both an exam and non-exam context, getting full marks in both of my A-Level orals and also winning a regional French debating competition.  

Languages teach us to think carefully about how we express ourselves and communicate messages, and having focussed on language over the last few years of my education I believe it has equipped me to be a better communicator with pupils who may be struggling or overwhelmed with work. I have also learnt to balance academic pressures with extra-curricular activities, such as playing the piano (Grade 8) and rowing in termtime and I can offer advice to pupils feeling overwhelmed by workload or a specific course.  

At the centre of my tutoring method is the idea that fostering an enthusiasm for the subject and regular consolidation are the keys for achieving results in exams or elsewhere.