The Clara James Tutoring Podcast

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 see the need for learning analogue clocks since digital displays are everywhere – in schools and even during exams. However, many parents still value teaching their children this traditional skill for situations where technology might not be available.

When helping your child learn to tell time, start with the basics: seasons, months, days of the week. Create visual aids like collages depicting yearly events relevant to your family. Then associate times with daily routines—7 AM wake-up and breakfast times as examples—building familiarity and confidence.

To further engage them in learning, consider making a clock from simple materials or buying one designed for educational purposes. Play games that connect specific times with activities; drawing what happens at different hours can make it fun and memorable.

We also have upcoming games like 'Dot Board,' which reinforces time-telling skills through play—with cards matching times to words or replicating clock faces on an analoug clock.

Remember that patience is key—it won't happen overnight just like other skills such as tying shoelaces might take some kids longer than others. To support your child effectively in learning how to tell time requires starting from scratch and building up gradually.

Hope these tips help! Have a great week ahead and catch you next podcast episode!

To find out more about how we learn and the Clara James Approach click here: How we learn - The Clara James Approach

Welcome to the Clara James Tutoring Podcast. 

In recent English language paper 2 prep, we've tackled four key questions: identifying facts, comparing texts, analysing language use, and another comparison. Then there’s section B—writing persuasive pieces like letters or articles. Remember two crucial tips: Use appropriate language for your audience and ensure proper layout—formal for officials in a letter format or relaxed for peers in an article with catchy headlines.

Always align your writing style and structure with what's asked of you. For comparative tasks in section A, balance your focus between both sources to score well.

Check mark schemes for insights on expected language use and layout clarity. If you have topics you'd like us to cover, let us know! Enjoy your day and catch our next episode! Take care. Bye.

Hello and welcome! I'm Dawn from Clara James Tutoring. With World Book Day approaching, many parents are concerned because their children dislike reading. My oldest daughter wasn't keen on it either.

At Clara James, we've developed a game called the Dotty Board Game to make reading fun and less intimidating. The game involves sharing reading tasks among players as they move around a board with coloured dots—each colour represents who reads next.

The point is not to stress over when your turn will come but to enjoy the process together. Remember, kids don't have to stick to traditional books; magazines or blogs count too!

To engage them further, tailor the materials like using images related to their interests or playing games that incorporate what they've read into creative activities like word searches or drawing storyboards.

Reading should be enjoyable, so help your child if needed and keep expectations realistic—celebrate even small achievements in reading progress.

Finally, for World Book Day—and every day—consider audiobooks as an alternative way for children to connect with stories while following along in print.

I hope these tips help you encourage a love of reading in your child. Enjoy World Book Day! Check out more resources at Clara James Pro (link below).

The Clara James Approach
See you next time!

Hello. Recently, I've discussed with parents the challenges of learning and retaining spelling skills. My advice is to make the process colourful, creative, and interactive to engage different parts of the brain.

One method is using multiple colours when writing words – a different colour for each letter and varying fonts can help create distinct visual cues. Drawing related images next to words further strengthens memory by adding context.

For active learning, painting with water on outdoor surfaces or using chalk can be effective since it involves larger movements. Using materials that are temporary like chalk or water means mistakes aren't permanent, which can alleviate pressure.

Interactive games also enhance learning: playing Hangman helps children think about letter order; scrambling magnetic letters for them to rearrange teaches word structure; creating coloured-in word searches practices pattern recognition; Battleship-style games with grids encourage strategic thinking while identifying spellings; and 'Lily Pads,' where jumping counters onto words reinforces quick recall.

The goal is fun engagement so kids want to participate. The more they practice in varied ways, the stronger their memories become – leading not just to short-term success but long-lasting spelling retention.

I hope these tips prove helpful! Have an amazing day or week ahead. Looking forward to our next conversation. Take care! Bye.

Hello, I hope you're having a good day. Many parents reach out to me after exam results are released, concerned about their child's revision strategies. To help, I've compiled some tips based on my experience in education and tutoring.

Firstly, it’s crucial to lay the groundwork for effective studying. I'm preparing a downloadable PDF tailored for the GCSE syllabus; if it's not yet available when you see this, email me at info@clajamestutoring.co.uk and I'll send it to you.

Start by listing topics and rating your confidence level next to each one: unsure, somewhat sure, or confident. This helps identify areas needing more focus without being overly negative.

Depending on learning preferences, use at least five colors when taking notes; this can enhance memory recall during exams. Explaining concepts as if teaching someone else is another powerful technique — whether through writing or creating videos or podcasts just for yourself.

To track progress efficiently in written materials like notebooks or flashcards, create an index system. Additionally, practice with past papers not only as tests but also as tools to pinpoint weak spots that require further study.

A great resource is Maths Made Easy (mme.co.uk), where you can find past papers along with mark schemes and model answers to compare against your work.

Remember that small daily study sessions often prove more beneficial than cramming before an exam — consistency over time leads to better retention of information. At the end of each day note down what was accomplished towards achieving desired grades; reflecting on these achievements can be motivating.

Parents should aim to support rather than nag their children about revision — encouragement goes much further in fostering a productive study environment.
 
Lastly, integrate enjoyable activities into your revision routine whenever possible – watching educational YouTube videos or running while listening back over notes could make studying less tedious.
 
I hope these suggestions aid both students and parents alike in navigating the challenges of exam preparation effectively. Good luck!

Jenga. How is Jenga relevant to maths or English?

I had to ask myself how I could make it relevant, and actually over the past couple of years since it was first suggested as a handwriting aid, we have found multiple ways to incorporate it into both maths and English for both younger students and, believe it or not, GCSE students.

In this podcast we will talk you through how you can incorporate times-tables, number bonds, punctuation, grammatical terminology, into this fun (and slightly addictive) game.

Hello. Today, I'll discuss times tables as they're fundamental to math, and without them, advancing in math is difficult. It's important for children to have multiple ways of recalling information rather than relying on repetitive worksheets.

Parents can help by using various methods like card games or tic-tac-toe with times tables questions. These engaging activities reinforce learning in a fun way.

When teaching times tables, it’s better not to follow the order 1-12 but start with easy ones like 2s, 5s, 10s, and then move onto tricks for others like the nines. For instance, when multiplying by nine you can use finger tricks or add up digits in your answer to see if they total nine—this confirms you've got it right.

For harder tables like sevens or sixes break them down using known facts from easier tables. Slow and steady learning ensures solid understanding before moving forward.

To support this learning process we send out resources via email including games and colouring activities linked to different times tables each month. If interested in our Clara James approach membership group at £3.50 a month offers additional resources.

If these tips could be valuable for you let me know so I can add you to our mailing list which also includes weekly emails with ideas supporting primary and secondary education along with updates on new materials and giveaways.

Thank you for listening—I'm Dawn from Clara James Tutoring where we aim to make learning enjoyable every day!

The Clara James Approach

Support your child with their times tables - The fun way! (sendfox.com)

#timestables #maths #parenting #education #homeschooling  #homeeducation #clarajamestutoring #creativelearning

Before Christmas, I spoke with parents about creating revision plans for their kids.

So, I thought revision would be a good place to start with these Podcasts as exams catch up with all of us at some stage...

I think one of the key things we need our kids to grasp is 'why.' Encouraging them to identify their motivation sets a foundation for focused and purpose-driven study habits. For some it may just be about getting through the exams so that they never need to do that subject again, for others it’s about connecting efforts today with future goals of college or careers in that field.

Trying not to waffle (I can chatter about this all day...) here are some suggestions that might help:

Revision is something completely unique to your child.

But before they start I would get them to spend a few minutes now having an honest brain dump with themself about what their goals are, what they feel confident about, what scares them. What support do they think you’re going to need to get the grades they want, where could they find that support. Also jot down anything else that comes to mind as they write.

Doing this will help to focus them, but at the same time, in a couple of weeks, or months they can look back and check their progress. If none has been made, they can ask themself why, what do they need to change?

Encourage and congratulate them and reassure them that they are heading in the right direction.

Remember, this is just for them, so be honest with themselves when they write, no one else needs to see this unless they choose to show it to you..

I'll also offer you some  generic suggestions for you to help you to get started.

If you're interested in the revision guides, check them out here:

The Revision Planner

The Revision Log

Getting to Grips with Angles

Square Pegs

#revision
#parenting
#learning
#studyskills
#education
#examtechniques
#GCSE

Welcome to the first Clara James podcast, aimed at helping you support children's learning. Whether they're yours or not, as a tutor, a parent, or teacher, we'll discuss adapting resources for better accessibility.

Years ago in math class, I struggled with something we were learning until my dad used apples and scales to explain it. That personal approach made all the difference. Recognizing that each child is unique—whether they have ADHD, autism, or other challenges—it's crucial to tailor our methods accordingly.

I began my career in childcare over two decades ago while raising three young kids. Starting as a volunteer led me to various roles and eventually tutoring—a profession I've grown to love because of its creative potential.

In teaching, using diverse activities instead of repetitive worksheets helps create stronger memories for students. Games like Bingo or Tic Tac Toe can make learning times tables engaging and enjoyable.

Our philosophy is simple: teach in ways that resonate with children. The podcast shares strategies you might adapt for your own use—after all, effective teaching often means changing our explanations rather than expecting kids to change how they learn.

Join us on this journey through the Clara James podcast as we explore supportive techniques from reception up through secondary school. Thank you for tuning in!

#parenting #learning #education #specialneeds #clarajamesapproach