All About Me (Dr. Margaret Appleton)

Following a very busy career as a university lecturer, I now dedicate my time to tutoring primary school students (including transfer test preparation), as well as secondary school students, in Northern Ireland. Math has been a passion of mine from a very young age and is a joy I love to share with students. English literacy skills and the ability to communicate well are also passions of mine, and are the reason I became a Cambridge-qualified ESL teacher. I have a BA and an MBA from the University of British Columbia (Vancouver, Canada), and a doctorate from the University of Oxford. When I am not working with my students or preparing materials for tutoring sessions, I spend my time with my family and our dog, Millie. I also love learning languages, reading, travel, and anything to do with numbers. 

I have been an educator since 1985 in a broad range of roles. I have successfully tutored children through entrance exams in Canada and the UK, taught as a university lecturer in the UK and in Europe, coached sport, taught English as a foreign language, and supervised research students at Masters and PhD level. My university teaching focussed on social sciences (social anthropology, sociology and history) as well as research methodology. I have formal certification in teaching and learning techniques at university level, a Certificate for Teaching English as to Speakers of Foreign Languages (CELTA) for all Cambridge English exam levels, and a Postgraduate Teaching Certificate in Special Educational Needs to teach students with dyslexic-type difficulties

I officially started my company, Appleton Tutoring, in Northern Ireland (UK) in 2015, and I love my work! My favourite part of teaching is helping students discover the joy of learning, and how much fun learning can be when you have the skills and confidence to achieve your goals. Tutoring

My one-to-one teaching is now completely online. The connection between myself and my students is just as strong through the Zoom interface as it ever was face-to-face, with the added benefit that I have complete flexibility to access and share just-right resources as needed at that moment. I love to go the extra mile for my students for a truly personalised approach. 

Every session is tailored specifically to the individual student, based on want-to-do and need-to-do goals set together with the student and parents. Sessions are typically one hour long, with shorter sessions available for my youngest students. Overall, my goal is for students to feel more confident, secure and enthusiastic about their work. 

I am extremely patient, caring and have a great sense of humour, all of which make the tutoring experience enjoyable for everyone. With me, tutoring is about sharing and developing a passion for learning which inevitably leads to better school performance and a happier student!