Welcome to i-tutor
I provide inclusive and innovative tutoring for school-aged children with dyslexia and other Specific Learning Difficulties (SLD), ensuring that every learner feels valued, supported, and empowered to reach their full potential.
Alongside my tutoring, I am developing online courses and resources for tutors, teachers, specialists, and homeschooling parents, fostering both student growth and educator development.
The Struggle I Kept Seeing - and the Solution I Built
After working with so many students over the years - especially neurodiverse learners - I kept noticing the same challenge: writing felt overwhelming.
I still see this struggle every day. Students of all ages and levels often find it incredibly hard to organise their ideas and structure their writing. No matter how capable or creative they are, building complete, well-structured sentences is a challenge they all seem to share.
I found myself constantly pulling together worksheets, sentence templates, and grammar tools from all over the place.
While some of these resources were helpful, (and I still use some of them in my sessions) nothing ever felt truly cohesive.
I wanted something that worked together as a whole - not just more bits and pieces. A practical tool that was hands-on, and visual - something students could move around and truly engage with.
And beyond the tool, I needed an approach - one that showed me how to teach writing with clarity and direction, yet was flexible and responsive to different learning needs.
That’s what led me to create the Colour-Coded Learning System - a tool and a method, designed to work together.
Now, colour coding in itself might not be new - but this isn’t just about colourful cards. It’s a clear, structured system that takes the guesswork out of teaching sentence writing.
With its visual layout and brain-based design, the Colour-Coded Learning System helps students understand how sentences work - and gives educators the tools to guide writing step by step.
This system was born from the kind of support I wish I had earlier in my own teaching journey - and now I’m sharing it with you. 💖
Want to learn how colour-coded cards can help your learners?
Degree: Teaching in Early Childhood Education
Experience: 20+ years in teaching, 5+ years in tutoring
Specialties: Diploma in Children's Literature, Certificate in SLD Teaching
Trained in Christchurch, New Zealand with a renowned organisation known for its innovative, research-backed methods, I’ve gained specialised expertise in tutoring students with dyslexia and specific learning difficulties (SLD). My love for children's literature enriches my teaching, inspiring creative approaches to literacy and learning.
I divide my time between teaching in early childhood education with infants through to five-year-olds and one-on-one tutoring for primary and early secondary students, while also developing a resource-rich online course to support both learners and educators. With over 25 years of teaching experience and more than five years dedicated to tutoring, my approach blends developmental insight with creative, brain-based strategies that nurture growth in every learner - academically and emotionally.
I’m passionate about helping all learners thrive and grow - nurturing both their minds and hearts along the way.
i-tutor
My goal is to tailor each learning session to meet the unique needs of every student. I understand that no two learners are the same, and I cater to each student's strengths, interests and areas for improvement, ensuring personalised attention and customised learning plans.
Recognising each student's uniqueness, I don't rely on a single literacy program. Instead, I draw from a diverse mix of resources, adapting as needed to fit specific learning needs. This flexible approach acknowledges that while programs are valuable, they may not work continually for every learner. By remaining adaptable, I ensure literacy education aligns with each student's journey, fostering a truly student-centered experience.
I embrace diverse learning methods to engage students through multiple pathways, reinforcing their strengths and supporting their challenges.
I believe that techniques developed to teach students with specific learning difficulties can serve as effective teaching practices for a broad range of learners. One example is structured literacy, which has long been used to support students with specific learning difficulties and dyslexia. This approach focuses on explicit, systematic instruction and has proven effective in improving literacy skills. It is now being recognised and adopted within mainstream education in New Zealand.
Teaching students how to think is at the heart of what I do. I leverage the latest methodologies, incorporating metacognitive and memory techniques to enhance the learning experience. This approach creates engaging and interactive sessions that inspire and motivate students to reach their full potential.
I also teach students about the brain, explaining how different parts of the brain contribute to learning. This scientific insight empowers students by helping them understand their learning processes, building self-awareness and confidence.