Faith

I am a second year Chemistry student at the University of Manchester, with a particular interest in inorganic and coordination chemistry. I recently completed a chemical engineering course in Lyon, France at ITECH (Institut Textile et Chimique) where I deepened my knowledge of applied chemistry and industrial processes. My hobbies include playing the piano and running. I am friendly, patient and non-judgemental.

Tutoring Experience

Most recently (earlier this year) I tutored a Year 11 student in chemistry over zoom for multiple hour-long sessions. I helped her achieve a Grade 9 at GCSE Combined Science (she was on a 4-5 level previously). In my gap year I gave reading lessons to a Year 4 student who was having trouble engaging in this area. Whilst completing A Levels I was part of a scheme at the local primary school giving maths lessons to pupils who required extra support during lunch time, during which time I helped my student (aged 10) gain more confidence in his abilities and become more proficient in mental maths.

Tutoring Approach

My teaching approach focuses primarily on inspiring interest and encouraging them not to fear the subject. In literacy this involves creating games with challenging words, setting well-incentivised spelling tests, setting writing exercises and having guided discussions about passages we read together. In maths tutoring I devise number games and work through suitable problems, first allowing the student to do as much as they can, and then giving gentle pushes to explore different paths to reach a result. My GCSE teaching approach is very different. I will first allow the student to make a list of areas of the subject they find overwhelmingly challenging, and then set aside sessions to cover each topic (more than one if necessary). In the session I will give a lesson on the unit, outlining important points and going through worked examples as we go through the content, and we will often have a little quiz at this point if they feel confident. The remainder of the session involves going over exam questions and referring to the mark schemes of papers. I summarise the sessions' content in a revision sheet for that week, and set a variety of exam questions related to the topic which we will go over in the next session. I believe each student should have a tailored teaching approach as each requires support in different areas. Once I meet my student I try to find out if their issues relate to confidence, lack of interest or certain skills that they have not had a chance to strengthen, and this will inform the structure of our sessions.