Our Teaching Approach
The same approach runs through the lessons on this site and the teaching in RCF Online Academy.
What the teaching emphasises
His teaching approach emphasises:
- clear and systematic explanation;
- guided practice before independent work;
- practical use of language;
- examination preparation where relevant;
- individual correction and feedback;
- regular revision;
- development of confidence; and
- additional support for learners experiencing difficulty.
The five stages, in detail
RCF English believes that successful learning requires more than presenting information. Learners should be shown how to understand a task, study an effective model, practise with guidance, work independently and identify their own mistakes.
Understand
Receive a clear explanation of the lesson or task. If a learner cannot say in their own words what the task is asking for, no amount of writing practice will help. This stage is not skipped, even when it seems obvious.
Observe
Study useful examples and models. A model is not something to copy; it is something to take apart. The learner is shown why each part of the model is there before being asked to produce anything similar.
Practise
Complete activities with appropriate guidance. The support is real at first — a structure, a set of prompts, a partly written answer — and is reduced deliberately as the learner becomes able to work without it.
Apply
Use the knowledge independently, without the model in front of you. This is the stage at which many courses begin. Here it is the fourth stage, not the first.
Review
Identify mistakes, make corrections and strengthen understanding. A checklist is provided for each kind of writing, so that self-correction becomes a habit rather than something only a teacher can do.
Why writing gets special attention
This gradual progression is particularly important in writing, where many learners struggle when they are asked to produce complete answers without sufficient preparation. RCF English therefore gives special attention to guided writing, answer development, model responses and self-correction.
A weak learner asked to "write a letter" with no preparation will usually produce something poor, be marked down, and conclude that they cannot write. Very often the problem was not ability but a missing stage. That is the mistake this approach is designed to avoid.
The same approach across the site
In O/L English
Every writing form — emails, notices, letters, paragraphs, essays, picture description, dialogue and speeches — follows the six-step method.
In Literature
Point, evidence, explanation, effect and link: a structure a learner can use even when the text is difficult.
In the classes
Explanation, guided practice, individual correction and regular revision, with extra support for learners in difficulty.