services
I work with students at all levels
key stage 3
Most maths schemes of work leading up to GCSE follow what is called a spiral curriculum: a topic is taught and then built upon the following year. If some of this base knowledge is missing (this could be from changing schools or teachers, mismatched learning styles, lack of enthusiasm for the subject etc.) it can be difficult for students to expand their knowledge on some topics, as the base knowledge is assumed. Using a specifically tailored set of questions, I identify these gaps and work to increase understanding at foundation level, building confidence and maximising learning during lesson time.
gCSE
At this stage, I help my students to make connections across all topics in the curriculum; due to the linear way in which Maths is generally taught, this is often missed in school. These connections are crucial to truly make sense of maths, after all it’s all based in logic! It is then important to expose students to the type of question they will be given in the exam, not just the tools with which they can answer them. I teach a simple 3 step approach:
What do I know?
What tool do I need?
What do I need to find out?
At first glance, problem solving is what students find really difficult - by breaking it down into 3 steps we can compartmentalise, simplify and understand each question. In tutoring sessions, we work hard on making these situations more familiar so that the student can walk into the exam feeling confident. I cover all exam boards at GCSE, and I tailor my lesson plans accordingly.
a-Level
Problem solving is the main element of focus here, as most of my students find it to be their main obstacle when furthering their skills. During our first sessions, I ensure that the base knowledge required to understand each problem is solid, and then create a lesson structure to steadily increase familiarity with the tools needed to achieve their top grade.
I cover the whole A-level syllabus - including mechanics and statistics. My A-Level students often know what it is that they are struggling with and we work to tackle those topics first, or we can look at exam technique if you decide to take on tutoring closer to exam time.
It is strongly recommended that students start with a tutor earlier so that our sessions can be done in line with lessons to maximise learning across the board. However, I understand this isn’t always possible, I do my best to maximise results with all my tutees without ‘cramming’ too much information at once. As with all my students at all levels, I encourage an organic learning process to reach your maximum potential through enthusiasm, passion and self-confidence.
ready to get started?
If you think I’d be a good fit for your needs, I’d love to hear from you.