Information About Alan - North Shore tutor

Personal Description:

I sat 10 Scholarship examinations at the end of 2023 - the highest level of examinations for high school education, and this has given me a range of knowledge in a variety of subjects, especially in Calculus and English (which served as a foundation for other numeracy, science, and literary subjects). I was appointed as Academic Captain for Westlake Boys' High School in 2023, due to my success in Year 12, ranking 2nd overall, whilst gaining Excellence Endorsement in Level 3 by enrolling myself in accelerated courses (in Year 12). I initially started high school with a very shallow level of knowledge in the subjects that I took, and the long journey that I undertook to overcome the challenges that I faced over those years helped me understand the difficulties that many students face. Outside my academic pathways, I enjoy sports and music, and I am a widespread volunteer in the community.

Tutoring Experience:

I have undertaken 1-on-1 tutoring sessions for a Year 11 student in the past, helping him to increase his grades from 'Not Yet Achieved' to 'Merit' in a Level 1 Mathematics and Statistics internal, which also allowed this student to understand his potential in a subject that he initially did not enjoy. I have also taken part in a Peer Tutoring program within my school to help students from Year 10 to Year 12 in a variety of subjects, including English, Calculus and Chemistry. I hope to expand my teaching experience through this program!

Tutoring Approach:

I have 4 foundational steps when I tutor students:

1) I ensure that I understand the content that I am teaching myself, and in some cases, knowing 3x as much as my student has allowed me to expand upon a topic freely, without being bound by the constraints that a curriculum may set (which can often allow students to learn many more interesting concepts about a subject).

2) I understand the barriers that a student may face in a subject, which allows me to give them more direction and insight in a way that allows them to overcome these barriers and develop an integral understanding of a topic, to be able to improve their grades.

3) I take a bottom-up approach, by building the foundations for the student first, before jumping into more complicated concepts (which allows the student to understand a subject in more depth).

4) I look for additional resources for students who display greater interest in topics, to ensure that those who are willing to work hard have the material they need to extend their academic capability. I always found that teachers who did this for me in school allowed me to excel in subjects that I was passionate about, and I wish to do the same for my own students.