Fascinating Fables—Self-Paced Class (Ages 9-13)

Hello, and welcome! Please call me Leon. I'm an award-winning tutor and multi-award winning author based in London, UK. I tutor in the best tradition of the British education system, drawing on a long-standing tradition of integrated and integrating liberal arts education.

As an author, I have  a successful track record of traditional and self-published works. My latest book, 'Story and Structure: A complete guide' has won 10 literary awards. Most notably, it was a finalist in The People's Book Prize 2022 and won the 2022 IPNE Nonfiction Book of the Year Award. My other books include Master the Art and Craft of Writing: 150+ fun games to liberate creativity (Aladdin's Cave Publishing, 20240, Odyssey: Dynamic Learning Journey (with David Pinto), History Riddles (Liberalis Books, 2013), and Aesop The Storyteller (Aladdin's Cave Publishing, 2007).

For me, teaching is a vocation, not a side job. Your child's success and holistic development are my priorities. I have considerable experience and a positive track record of helping students prepare for entrance exams to top fee-paying schools in the UK, ace their GCSEs, IB exams and A-Levels, as well as coaching students for SATs (Scholastic Aptitude Tests) ISEEs and CATs (Cognitive Ability Tests) (UK/USA) in English, Maths, Logical, Verbal, and Non-Verbal Reasoning. 

I also have an impressive track record of original research work published as an independent researcher. I have a performing arts background and have produced short films, performed as a storyteller, worked as a poet, including two appearances as poet-in-residence at the First Edinburgh Food Festival and at the Pleasance Theatre during the Edinburgh Fringe. 

You can view a video of me in action giving a TEDx talk entitled 'The Magic of Words' on YouTube (HYit3MYAoqM). My approach is inspired by the classical Liberal Arts - particularly the Trivium of Grammar, Logic, and Rhetoric, and the even older traditions of oral storytelling which I believe were behind the formation of the Progymnasmata syllabus (or classical 'middle school' for orators). 

I'm have studied intensively with Shonaleigh Cumbers, who is, as far as we know, the last Drut'syla, an oral storyteller in an unbroken family tradition going back hundreds of years.

SCHEDULE: 
In addition to advertised classes, I also accept schedule requests, so please put in a request if you don't see a class at a time you like. Please bear in mind that I balance Outschool teaching with ongoing private 1:1 tutoring commitments and that a reasonable amount of flexibility is both offered and requested.

CLASS STYLE: 
My class sizes vary according to content. I combine whole-class teaching with small-group and/or individual work and a group plenary. I recognise that every student is different and vary and adapt my teaching methods in live classes to suit different learners' interests and abilities. As long as they're engaged and learning, participants can participate verbally as much or as little as they want. 

My teaching style is more on the formal side, but I incorporate thought-provoking activities and prompts to encourage students to reflect more deeply, think more critically and clearly, and defend value-based judgements according to their merits in relation to universal values. I use a variety of stimuli and interactive techniques in many of my classes to keep students engaged and involved. I also draw on Oxbridge tutorial style open-ended yet focused conversation, Socratic dialogue, and dialogic or maieutic conversation approaches.

I'm happy for participants to follow one-time classes by accessing video recordings and handouts by prior arrangement.

Several of my longer courses on Outschool are taught using the Odyssey Grid™ approach— outlined in my book, 'Odyssey: Dynamic Learning Journeys' (Liberalis Books, 2013)—a unique approach that makes learning fun, engaging and because Odyssey Grid™ journeys are non-linear, no two Odyssey Grid™ journeys are ever alike!

MY STANCE:
My teaching is secular humanist, and is based on universal values of the True, the Good, the Harmonious coming together to support the Unity of Being.

CLASS POLICIES:

1) TIMINGS:
I aim to start and end classes for the time specified, however, classes with lower enrollments may run a few minutes under and classes with especially talkative participants may run a few minutes over. 

2) CLASS KICK-OFF
Whether or not all learners are in the classroom, classes will begin at the scheduled time. The exception to this is if there is a clear technical issue that gets in the way. In order not to disadvantage those who have logged in on time, I will not contact would-be participants during the session, but rather will focus on the participants who are present. However, I will contact anyone who did not manage to log in after the class to transfer them to another section or give them the option to access the recording and handouts as appropriate.

3) MINIMUM NUMBERS:
I aim to run most if not all of my classes at minimum enrollment levels or higher. Please book with this in mind, and allow flexibility in scheduling - I say this up front to try to avoid disappointment your end.
Where the minimum numbers for a class have not been met, I aim to contact parents a week or so before the start of the class and offer to transfer to a later section at a similar time, to allow time for more people to join, or refund. 

4) NO SHOWS:
If no participants have logged in, I will wait 10 minutes before exiting the classroom. If technical problems have got in the way your end, please contact me to let me know - I would be happy to transfer your learner(s) to a different section.

5) PARENTAL SUPERVISION:
Parents, guardians, or carers are very welcome to sit in for the sole purposes of supporting students they have responsibility for, where there is a clear need to do so. Please contact me first if you know this will be necessary.

6) SIBLING DISCOUNT:
I offer a sibling discount of 10% (issued as a refund on booking - parents please notify me this is applicable if this hasn't been actioned) but I recommend participants join on separate devices where possible. I have a zero tolerance policy to parents allowing participants to participate for free alongside paid participants' places without permission. Outschool works on a fee-per- participant basis, not a fee-per-device basis. Any violation of this rule will result in both participants (paid and unpaid) being removed from class, and a 50% refund issued for fee paid. I will be happy to welcome participants back to another class on payment of full fee and will be happy to extend the sibling discount of 10% to siblings joining on a separate device where possible.

7) INDIVIDUALISATION:
I enjoy finding links between students' interests and the subject matter of the class they've enrolled in. As I state in my introductory video, if they or a parent contacts me with some background information in advance, I will do my best to personalise course content to match students' interests, wherever possible.

8) VIDEO POLICY:
Please note that unless students have a very good reason not to have their video on during class, I expect students to be visible and participate actively in classes I teach. The digital classroom is a social space shaped by our intentions and our activity - and I encourage participants to actively build the kind of space they feel comfortable in, and to actively work on creating a space in which others can also feel comfortable being and acting in. 

Outschool does provide a 'verification' system for those who have good reasons not to participate visually, and I will respect and support that fully. Please consult https://support.outschool.com/en/articles/4063624-learner-verification for further information and contact 'verification@outschool.com' at least a week before the start of your first class to allow time for the verification process to be completed. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation in this matter.

EXPERIENCE: 
I have over 10 years' full-time experience of teaching in classrooms from preschool to higher and adult education as well as of devising and delivering whole-school and year-group opera workshops for students in primary and secondary schools in the UK, of running year-group related workshops in primary and secondary schools in the UK as an author and storyteller and of going into companies to run workshops and training courses in presentation skills and voice production for adults. 

I have considerable experience as a storyteller/creative writing teacher who is vetted to go into primary and secondary schools to inspire students with a love of language. I have tried and tested strategies to keep students focused and on task. 

QUALIFICATIONS: 
I hold a City and Guilds 7307 Adult and Further Education Teaching Certificate (1996), and two music-related teaching qualifications - Licentiateship Certificates from both the Royal Academy of Music (1986) and from Trinity College of Music, London, UK (1987). I have a Master's Degree in the History of Design and Material Culture (V&A/RCA) (2005). I also teach 1:1 specialising in working with gifted and talented students via The Traditional Tutor (traditionaltutor.co.uk). I have a clear Enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service Certificate (UK) (which, for what it's worth, means that Her Majesty's Police Force can confirm I have no police records and have been declared 'safe' to teach) - my last certificate was issued on 1 June 2021 (Ref: 001737216815) and these are usually rechecked every year at least. I have held a continuous clear record since they brought the scheme in around 2012.

SEN EXPERIENCE: 
I have a MENSA-level IQ rating and was a member of MENSA for a year, running a special interest group for a while but left as – apart from the SIG – I found the experience boring.
I was diagnosed as mildly dyspraxic while studying for my MA in 2003.
I am the parent of a Praxic, Dyscalculic child.

I received training in SEN strategies while working at the International Language Institute Kindergarten and via teacher training courses at TCM, London.
I have received training in Speech and Language Therapy diagnosis and intervention as part of my training as a voice teacher through the British Voice Association. This includes a course in VPA profiling with Christina Shewell, and training in the Accent Method of holistic breath management, used in therapy with stammerers but with applications to other situations as well.

I delivered mixed ability training for inclusional groups such as Education Otherwise in the mid-90s.

CPD Courses attended through Harrison Allen Tutoring Agency/Tutorcruncher:

Dyscalculia Assessment – April 2015
Strategies for Teaching ADHD Students – November 2015
Assisting Children with Sensory Processing Issues – June 2016

My background is informed by an integrated approach to the classical Liberal Arts. My approach to teaching both intellectually challenged and gifted and talented students draws on this but is also inspired by the work of Reuven Feuerstein, who devised the Instrumental Enrichment programme, and George Spencer-Brown, author of Laws of Form, a key work in the development of cybernetics. I also draw on techniques used by traditional storytellers, which typically encourage a holistic use of the brain, and involve integrating image-making, word-creation and movement as part of a unified act of communication, based on innate understanding of story structures.

ASSESSMENT: 
Not all of the classes I teach involve formal assessment. Where participants are requested to turn in homework and the marking time is included as part of the course cost, I will mark work to clear objective guidelines/mark schemes. Where homework is optional, I usually provide a mark scheme and some sample pieces of work at each grade level for self-assessment purposes.

AGE RANGE:
In line with Outschool expectations for classes to fall within an age range of five years, my class offerings generally fall into two groups: 9-13 year-olds and 14-18 year-olds, with a few story-based classes aimed at a younger age group. 

CANCELLATIONS AND REFUNDS:
Technical issues can happen, however much we wish they didn't. If there are serious technical problems my end, I'll reschedule the class at the earliest available date and time within a similar time slot as the original class at no extra cost to participants. For one-time classes, parents may opt for a refund rather than transfer, but will not have access to the recorded class.

In the event the technical issues impede a participant who is registered and on line but unable to participate fully due to technical issues, I'll offer them a place in the next available section at no extra cost - please contact me to suggest a section that will fit your schedule.

If a class starts late due to technical reasons my end, I will endeavour to teach for the full duration with participants' agreement. 

Find out more at www.leonconrad.com.