Ali J.

My name is teacher dimakatso, I'm a certified ESL teacher, I hold a bachelor's degree in linguistics and my second major is English. I also have a 120 TEFL teaching certificate from TEFL Universal. I have been teaching English online for 4 years now. My teaching philosophy is student centered and interactive. I studied at University of Johannesburg from 2022 to 2025. I hold a bachelor's degree in linguistics and my second major is English. I also have a 120 TEFL Teaching certificate from TEFL Universal. I also have a certificate in student awareness and health from University of Johannesburg, I was volunteering as a peer educato, I completed short courses and recieved artificial intelligence certificate, a cyber security certificate. I'm currently studying higher certificate in cyber security at University of Johannesburg. I have been teaching English online for 4 years, I have helped students that wanted business English because of their work, they either wanted to improve their fluently or to conversate with their international clients. I have also helped students that wanted to improve their fluently and beginner.

I have just started university and I am eager to help my students in a supportive way with a dynamic based on mutual respect. Outside of my studies I love to watch football, go on hikes in the South Downs and read the financial times, as I am of course interested in any developments in markets. I went to Sackville School, East Grinstead and completed 12 GCSE's and one level 2 certificate in Further Maths, all at grade 7 and above. I then progressed to my A-Levels, achieving A*AAA in Maths, Further Maths, Economics and Physics. During my time I also gained a Gold Certificate in the Senior Maths Challenge and participated in the Senior Maths Kangaroo, whilst also participating in the FCDO Next generation Economics essay competition.

I have over 10 years of experience in Education, learning, and development, teaching in both Primary and Secondary Schools. I specialise in teaching 11+, Social Sciences and prepping for national exams. I love helping students bridge the gap between what they currently know and what they need to know, by building confidence and resilience in their subject knowledge and approach to learning, especially in areas which they find particularly daunting. Engagement in learning is key. All lessons must be interactive to encourage learning and development. I encourage engagement through quizzes, questions, games, opinions, matching & sorting activities and use of mixed media. I adapt to different learning styles by meeting children where they are at, finding out what they currently know and using that information as a foundation to make learning accessible for them. I use assessments to track progress and plug gaps in their knowledge. My passion is to create successful learners who are able to achieve and exceed the goals they set for themselves. At A-Level, I studied Sociology (Grade A), Psychology (Grade B) and ICT (Grade C) at Southwark College. I then completed my BSc in Sociology and Criminology at City University, achieving a 2:1. I also have a PGCE in Upper Primary which I completed at Goldsmiths College. Additionally, I have a CIPD Level 5 Associate Diploma in Learning and Development.

I have worked as a lecturer at De Montfort University for over 15 years. I hold a PGCE in further Education, an MA in English Language Teaching, and a BA honours in English. I taught English for Academic Purposes at university. This enabled me to develop various teaching approaches at different levels of English usage. I have also taught KS3-KS5 in the UK and abroad during which I have been observed several times and demonstrated that I was outstanding. I have used various teaching aids ranging from pictures, flash cards, to a variety of IT techniques. I have also used peer interaction and assessment to develop learners. Teaching at university enabled me to teach presentation skills. This has enabled me to do the same during training, coaching and mentoring sessions with colleagues. I have mentored a number of tutors. In my experience as a university lecturer I have used a variety of online platforms to teach students during the Covid-19 pandemic. I began my journey into English in 2002 when I did a BA (hons) in English at Demontfort university. Following this I did an MA in Children’s Literature in 2005 due to my immense love of reading. However, it was only when I landed a job at a resources centre that I decided to specialize in teaching and so I did a PGCE in education and an MA in English language teaching both in 2007-2009. I absolutely love teaching since then - as cliche as it sounds it is truly my passion and the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done. I love my students and to see them excel truly makes me content. I’ve been told that I have a gift for building a rapport with learners and I to feel this is something that comes naturally to me because as a student I myself struggled with being misunderstood and branded as a ‘bad student’. I feel as a result I can relate to students and their struggles more easily. I’m also very patient and an excellent listener.