Jessica

Experience

• A Level/IB History: AQA, CIE, Edexcel, OCR and WJEC

• A Level History of Art: AQA, Edexcel

• A Level/IB English Literature: AQA, CIE, Edexcel, OCR and WJEC

• GCSE/IGCSE English & History: AQA, CIE, Edexcel, OCR and WJEC

• 13+/14+/16+ English, History, History of Art: ISEB and public school entrance exams

• 11+ English and Maths: ISEB and public school exams, including pre-tests.

I began my career as a tutor working with Key Stage 3, A-level and undergraduate university students who needed extra help with History, History of Art, English, Italian, Latin and essay-writing in all subjects. As well as classes in more traditional settings, some of these lessons took place in museums and galleries where students could apply the knowledge and skills that we had learned.

I continued these private lessons whilst teaching undergraduate students History at the University of St Andrews, composing and delivering weekly lessons, marking coursework and preparing them for exams. Outside of the classroom I worked one-on-one with students who needed extra help with particular topics, more complex reading and essay-writing.

Since leaving St Andrews I have tutored more than 500 hours for Keystone, teaching students from primary to A-Level History, History of Art and English.

Biography

After achieving 3 As at A-Level, I moved from rural Cornwall to London where I earned a First Class degree in the History of Art from the Courtauld Institute (Britain's premier institution for the study of the subject). I then went onto advanced study of Italian and Latin and a master's degree in the Cultural and Intellectual History of the Renaissance, for which I was awarded a Distinction.

After completing my MA I decided to devote my life to teaching and writing about history. This led me to a fully-funded PhD in the School of History at the University of St Andrews; a long-term residential research fellowship at the British School at Rome (British Academy); teaching at the University of St Andrews and now a career as a professional tutor for Keystone.

Working for Keystone I have gained extensive experience teaching both online and face-to-face and currently divide my work equally between the two, teaching students in the UK, across Europe, as well as in Africa, Hong Kong and China.

Personal Approach

My teaching approach is based on two principles: engagement and method.

Engagement: Students learn more quickly and energetically if they are interested in the topic or skill that they are trying to master. Therefore, I assess each student not only on their academic abilities but also their motivations and personality and adapt my lessons accordingly. This drives my students to learn during our time together and long after our lessons have finished.

Method: All subjects and skills can be mastered with a methodical approach and consistent work. For this reason I plan individual lessons and programmes of study with clear short and long-term objectives. With a clear plan my students and I can track and celebrate our progress as we go, as well as identifying any areas that need extra work. This approach produces clear academic results and demystifies challenging subjects and skills.

What I do when I am not tutoring

When I am not tutoring I am usually researching, writing or lecturing on the history of early modern Europe, particularly Italy in the sixteenth century. I publish my work in academic journals and my first book, on the Roman Inquisition and the early Jesuits, will be published next year. Occasionally my research takes me from my home-office to exotic archives, from the Vatican to Paris and Turin, though never for very long.

Charitable work is also an important part of my life. I am involved in projects for the homeless and marginalised in London and run a charitable trust for an historic monastery in Umbria.

The rest of my spare time is devoted to my garden and my naughty Jack Russell, Ludo.

Testimonials

"I have nothing but praise for Jessica and her tutorage. She has been incredibly focused on addressing my specific areas of challenge as well as strengthening my overall historical skills. She is always punctual, organised and helpful." (A Level History Student)

"Jessica has been a fantastic support to my son with both his Personal Statement and EPQ, thank you for putting us in contact with her."

Thank you so much for arranging Jessica who has been fantastic. My son and I were delighted with her guidance and input and he now has a Personal Statement he is really proud of. Thank you again. I will definitely be recommending Keystone Tutors to my friends!

Jessica is just brilliant! She tests, gives tasks and exercises and then checks. My son has got 83% in History exam. He has not only gained confidence but really enjoyed the lessons. (Mother of Year 9 Student)

'Jessica is just brilliant! She tests, gives tasks and exercises and then checks. Mark has got 83% in History exam. He has not only gained confidence but really enjoyed the lessons.' Mother of a Year 9 History student.

'My tutor (Jessica Dalton) was excellent too and has really helped me to immerse myself in the module even more by ensuring I push myself to do my best whilst also providing an enjoyable learning environment within the tutorials.' Student at the University of St Andrews.

'I thought my tutorial was very engaging, our tutor Jessica Dalton was very good at facilitating the discussion, and brought in a lot of outside knowledge and primary sources for us to look at together. Her feedback was also very helpful and thorough.' Student at the University of St Andrews.

'Additionally, with the helpful and thorough feedback of my tutor Jessica Dalton, through both the individual feedback forms and through meeting with her during office hours my confidence increased further. My tutor also helped me increase my confidence through the work we did in tutorials.' Student at the University of St Andrews.

'I really liked that Jessica Dalton had us meet with her to go over feedback for papers because it was really helpful in knowing what to work on to improve future coursework...I also liked that Jessica Dalton always had us do primary source analysis in tutorials.' Student at the University of St Andrews.