Education · All levels
Turn everyday lessons into practice in learning how to learn
A self-paced programme for tutors, teachers and parents who want children to take charge of their own learning — through choice, reflection and small experiments.
- 24 recorded lessons
- 6 practical modules
- Reflection and planning templates
- Self-paced, lifetime access
- 14-day money-back guarantee
Why more help with homework rarely builds independence
Most children who struggle at school do not lack ability. They lack a way of working: a method for starting a task, choosing an approach, noticing what went wrong and trying again. The usual response — more explanations, more checking, more control from the adult — solves tonight's homework and leaves the underlying problem exactly where it was.
Developmental tutoring starts from a different place. Instead of doing more for the learner, the tutor builds the learner's own capacity to decide, act and reflect. That means handing over real choices, agreeing on small experiments, and making reflection an ordinary routine rather than a post-mortem after a bad grade.
This programme sets out that approach step by step. It is written for tutors and teachers who want a method rather than a folder of tips, and for parents who would like to stop being the engine of their child's schoolwork.
You will work through the five building blocks of the method — agency, choice, reflection, trial actions and learning-to-learn skills — and see how they combine into a cycle you can run with one child, a small group or a whole class.
What you will be able to do
By the end of the programme you will have a working method, not just a set of ideas.
- Diagnose what is actually blocking a learner
Separate a missing skill from missing motivation, an unhelpful routine or an environment that works against study.
- Hand over decisions without losing structure
Offer real, bounded choices about what, how, in what order and at what pace — and record them so they can be reviewed.
- Run a reflection routine that changes behaviour
Use short, repeatable questions that move a learner from 'it went badly' to 'here is what I will do differently'.
- Design trial actions a child can carry out alone
Build small, reversible experiments that test a study habit in real schoolwork within a week.
- Teach learning-to-learn skills inside real subjects
Work on planning, self-testing, note-taking and handling mistakes without turning the session into extra subject tutoring.
- Run a full tutoring cycle with clear goals
Move from goal to experiment to reflection to next step, and know when to step back.
- Work with parents as partners rather than rescuers
Agree what the adults will and will not do, so support does not quietly turn back into control.
- Document progress in a way the learner can see
Keep an observation log that shows growing independence instead of only listing completed tasks.
- 6
- modules
- 24
- recorded lessons
- 12
- practice assignments
- 5
- building blocks of the method
The five building blocks of the method
Agency is the starting point. A learner who is the subject of their own education makes decisions, carries them out and answers for the result. The tutor's job is not to supply energy but to widen the space in which the child can act — and then to resist the urge to fill that space.
Choice is the tool that makes agency practical. Not an open menu, which paralyses, but a small set of genuine options: which task first, which format to use, how long to work before a break, which of two topics to take. Choices are written down, because a decision you cannot remember is a decision you cannot review.
Reflection is what turns experience into learning. In this method it is short and regular: what did you expect, what actually happened, what will you keep, change or drop next time. Done weekly, it stops being an interrogation and becomes the moment the learner takes ownership of the result.
Trial actions and learning-to-learn skills complete the cycle. A trial action is a small, low-risk experiment a learner runs in real schoolwork — a different way of preparing for a test, a new place to study, a fixed five-minute start. Learning-to-learn skills are what the experiments build: planning backwards from a deadline, testing yourself instead of rereading, and treating a mistake as information rather than a verdict.
How the programme works
The programme is delivered as recorded video lessons, written guides and downloadable worksheets. There are no live sessions and no scheduled calls: you move through the modules at your own pace, and the material stays with you afterwards.
Each module follows the same rhythm. You watch the lessons, read the short guide, then carry out a practice assignment with a learner you already work with — a tutee, a student, a small group, or your own child. If you do not have a learner available, the assignments include a written case-study route so you can still complete them.
Most people spend two to three hours a week and finish in about six weeks, but nothing in the platform enforces that schedule. You can work through one module a week, or take a single module and apply it before returning for the next.
The programme
Six modules, each with four recorded lessons and a practice assignment.
1Module 1 — The learner as the author of their educationWhat agency looks like in an ordinary school week, and how to stop carrying the child's learning for them.4 lessons
- What agency looks like in an ordinary school day
- Separating your goals from the learner's goals
- Mapping the learner's current resources and supports
- The first tutoring conversation: questions that open rather than close
2Module 2 — Choice as a working toolDesigning real, bounded choices and recording them so they can be reviewed.4 lessons
- Why choice motivates — and where it backfires
- Designing a real choice: two or three options, one decision
- Choosing content, pace, format and level of difficulty
- Recording decisions so the learner can review them later
3Module 3 — Reflection that changes the next attemptShort, repeatable routines that turn experience into a plan.4 lessons
- Simple reflection routines for the end of a task
- Moving from 'how did it go' to 'what will you change'
- Written reflection: logs, journals and one-line notes
- Keeping reflection honest without turning it into a test
4Module 4 — Trial actions and safe experimentsSmall, reversible experiments a learner can run in real schoolwork within a week.4 lessons
- What a trial action is and why it must be low-risk
- Designing an experiment the learner can run alone
- Reviewing the result: keep it, change it or drop it
- Building a habit of small experiments across subjects
5Module 5 — Learning-to-learn skills inside real subjectsPlanning, self-testing and working with mistakes, without turning the session into subject tutoring.4 lessons
- Reading a task and finding what is actually being asked
- Planning a piece of work backwards from the deadline
- Note-taking, retrieval practice and self-testing that stick
- Working with mistakes instead of avoiding them
6Module 6 — Running the tutoring cycle over timePutting the five building blocks together into a repeatable cycle, and knowing when to step back.4 lessons
- Structuring a cycle: goal, experiment, reflection, next step
- Working with parents without taking over
- When to step back and let the learner lead
- Documenting progress and reviewing the cycle
What you get
Everything in the programme is downloadable and yours to keep.
- 24 recorded video lessons
Six modules of focused lessons you can watch in any order and revisit at any time.
- Six module workbooks
Written guides that summarise the method and give the reasoning behind each step.
- A reflection prompt library
Ready-to-use questions for the end of a task, the end of a week and the end of a cycle.
- A trial action planner
A one-page template for designing, running and reviewing a small experiment with a learner.
- A tutoring cycle template
The full goal–experiment–reflection–next step structure on a single sheet.
- An observation and progress log
A simple way to record growing independence rather than completed tasks.
- Twelve practice assignments
Two per module, each designed to be carried out with a real learner or as a written case study.
- Lifetime access
The material does not expire, so you can return to a module whenever a new case comes up.
Is this programme for you?
This course is for you if…
- Tutors and educators who want a structured method for developing learning independence, not another list of techniques
- Teachers and form tutors who work with teenagers one-to-one or in small groups
- Parents of school-age children who want to step back from daily homework management without stepping away
- School leaders and methodologists building tutoring or study-skills support into their programme
- Anyone who works with learners who are capable but disorganised, avoidant or stuck
Probably not a fit if…
- People looking for ready-made subject lessons or exam-prep scripts in maths, languages or sciences
- Anyone hoping for a quick jump in grades within a few weeks without changing the learner's habits
- Families seeking diagnostic or clinical advice about learning difficulties
- Those who expect live supervision, individual consultations or personal feedback on their cases
- Readers who want a fixed script to deliver unchanged rather than a method to adapt
After the programme
Six weeks from now you will have run at least one full tutoring cycle with a real learner. You will know how to open a conversation that puts the child in charge of the decision, how to design an experiment small enough that they will actually try it, and how to review it without turning the review into a judgement.
In practice, sessions stop being a relay of instructions from adult to child. The learner arrives with something they decided, reports on what happened, and leaves with a next step they chose. Your notes shift from 'covered fractions' to 'planned the week alone, dropped the plan by Wednesday, will shorten the plan next time'.
You will also have a way of talking to parents that keeps them supportive without handing the work back to them, and a documented record of progress you can show when someone asks whether the tutoring is working.
Questions before you buy
How much time do I need each week?
Most people spend two to three hours a week: roughly an hour of lessons, plus the practice assignment with a learner. The programme takes about six weeks at that pace, but it is self-paced, so you can spread it out or work through it faster.
Do I need to be a practising tutor?
No. The programme is used by tutors, teachers, school methodologists and parents. What matters is that you work with a school-age learner in some capacity, or are willing to work through the assignments as written case studies.
Do I need a child to practise with?
It helps, because the assignments are designed around a real learner. If you do not have one available, each assignment includes a written case-study route so you can complete the module and apply the method later.
How do I get access after payment?
As soon as the payment is confirmed you receive an email with your login to the learning platform, where all six modules are already open. There is nothing to wait for and no start date.
What format are the lessons in?
Recorded video lessons with written guides, worksheets and templates. Everything is available on demand, and the worksheets can be downloaded and printed for use in sessions.
How long do I keep the material?
Access does not expire. You keep the lessons, workbooks and templates, including any updates made to the programme, so you can return to a module whenever a new case comes up.
Is there a refund policy?
Yes. You have 14 days from purchase to ask for a refund, for any reason. Write to support from the address you used to order and the payment is returned in full.
Are there live sessions or calls?
No. The programme is entirely self-paced and recorded, with no scheduled calls and no live groups. That is deliberate: it lets you work at the pace of the learner in front of you.
Does the programme cover a specific school subject?
No. The method is subject-agnostic. It teaches how to build planning, self-testing, reflection and independence, which you then apply inside whatever subjects your learners are studying.
Start building learning independence
Six modules, twelve practice assignments and a method you can use with the next learner you meet.