Andrew

My name is Andrew and I'm 18, on a gap year, with a deferred entry to study Engineering Mathematics at the University of Bristol.

I am an experienced tutor having worked with children ages 5-16 and I’m currently employed part time for two Mathnasium centers, having also done private tutoring on the side, with one of my year 11 students improving from a grade 5 to a grade 7 within two school terms.

I have always had an innate interest in maths and a burning curiosity that fuels my passion for the subject. This is why I aim to pass just some of this on to my students as I believe anyone can understand maths given they have a good attitude towards the subject and put in the necessary effort; accompanied with the appropriate guidance of course. With a typical student I would do this by first working with them on whatever they feel they would benefit most from bringing to the session, e.g. past papers, and I must stress there is little point bringing work that your child doesn’t feel challenged by since we want to make the most of the session. We would work through this material together and I would provide aid where necessary and deliver new concepts with a mix of socratic questioning and direct teaching and extending knowledge on topics where I believe they are comfortable. I would carefully balance how much aid I provide since avoiding any student becoming too dependent on assistance is also one of my top priorities as a tutor. This will hopefully get them more accustomed to the mathematical way of thinking and spark inspiration which will fuel more independent learning.

Naturally I also strongly believe that learning should be an enjoyable experience and not something to be afraid of so I always strive to make this a core focus of my practice when tutoring. Having worked with a wide variety of students I believe I have learned how to communicate effectively with my tutees.

I have consistently been an A/A* student and having just finished A levels, achieving A*A (Maths and Further Maths respectively) and AC, I have a strong academic foundation upon which I believe I am qualified to teach up to A level pure Maths and AS further maths.

Given my plans to study Engineering Mathematics next year I am keen to stay in touch with maths and help students do the best they can in the subject that I love.

Text or email me if you have any more questions

Tutoring Experience

I have been working as a resident instructor across two Mathnasium Centers for over 3 months. Working at Mathnasium has given me consistent practice as well as an initial instructor training course that exposed me to industry-standard fundamentals skills and techniques of effective tutoring. This experience has fine-tuned my skills as a tutor.

Tutoring a range of age groups (5-16 years old) weekly has given me an understanding of how to teach a variety of curriculums and more importantly how to adjust my teaching style according to my tutee's ability and gaps in knowledge. I also have experience tutoring GCSE maths in person to a Year 11 student, improving his grade from a 5 to a 7, narrowly missing an 8 for his final grade.

I also have experience working with students with additional needs, though it must be mentioned I am not a trained professional in the field of learning support.

Tutoring Approach

I am open to helping with homework, past papers, or assigning work myself, whatever best suits the student.

I aim to provide in-the-moment assistance with any issues the student is having through a mix of Socratic questioning and direct teaching when appropriate. By assessing their mathematical ability I help to identify and, in time, correct any fundamental gaps in their mathematical knowledge. This helps provide a foundation upon which they can extend their knowledge and eventually thrive as a mathematician.

All that being said, I think it's just as important to provide an enjoyable learning experience and in time help the student develop a natural curiosity for mathematics themselves.