Megan

Hi, I'm a 32 year-old maths graduate with a 1st from the Open University. I’ve always been extremely passionate about Mathematics and try to encourage this love of learning in my students. I have an 12 year old son and in my free time enjoying reading, walking and board games.

I understand the importance of developing a good bond with students, this helps develop the confidence needed to 'give it a go' and learn through their mistakes, as learning is a 2 way process and students need to be actively involved not just listening. The highlight of my job is seeing the smile on a students face when the method clicks and they understand, or listening to them enthusiastically inform me of their successes at school in tests or via certificates for effort and improvement.

My experience in primary education has made me confident in all areas of education at KS1 and particularly KS2 - hence teaching English at this age also.

Tutoring Experience

I have consistently achieved the top grades in all Mathematics qualifications I have sat, GCSE (A*), A-level (A) and in my Degree (1st), showing a strong subject knowledge. I also achieved A's in both English GCSE's. Although I did not continue this subject further, I am an avid reader and have strong grammatical knowledge. After my degree I began a teacher training course, which sadly I did not complete due to the heavy workload conflicting with my life as a parent, however I gained some valuable teaching skills and methods from this.

Since then, I have had over 6 years' experience working in a primary school as a teaching assistant and cover teacher. As an extremely competent member of the teaching team, I was often called upon to teach in place of absent teachers and even given regular weekly teaching spots. The head teacher also invited me to lead after school clubs, specialist SATS interventions and a maths challenge group for the more capable KS2 students. This involved completing training via The National Tutoring Programme as part of the Governments Covid catch-up plans - furthering my tutoring knowledge and skills.

I have privately tutored for over 2 years, making the move to full time tutoring around a year ago. With experience teaching students from Key Stages 1, 2, 3 and 4 and adult learners undertaking GCSE resits.

Tutoring Approach

KS3/4 GCSE Maths (including adult/post 16 GCSE resits)
Lessons will be personalised to your child's needs, based on their school's curriculum, the exam board their studying with and their abilities. Many schools follow the White Rose curriculum enabling me to track the students learning in school and build upon this, deepening their understanding.
During the national lockdown I began working remotely, giving me insight into valuable teaching methods for online learning, which I now use in my zoom lessons. I have found KS3 and KS4 students often prefer these lessons, working comfortably in their own space and given the independence and trust to follow through with work thoroughly. Giving feedback verbally encourages students to develop a deeper understanding of the steps involved in more complex problems as they talk through each step of their working, cementing the knowledge.
Lessons usually begin with warmup questions covering a variety of age and level appropriate topics, this enables me to identify any gaps in knowledge and keeps the students understanding of past learning fresh. After this the planned lesson could involve a PowerPoint, word documents, use of websites, live worked examples on the white board or apps such as graphing technology. For GCSE students I aim to work exam style questions into each lesson as developing good test technique is ideal.
Further to this, older students are encouraged to make note of any challenging mathematical concepts they come across at school and request further help as needed, this can be live in a lesson or via email in advance to enable planning.

KS1/2 Maths and English
Lessons will be catered individually to the child around their needs and school’s curriculum and adapted where necessary throughout the lesson, with extra work on areas in which the child struggles, and more challenging questions set for those they fly through.
Younger students often benefit from in person lessons as physical representations for them to manipulate are invaluable in mathematics. In English, this enables me to pick up on spelling and grammar quickly. Face to face sessions also encourage confidence and help develop a bond between myself and the student, with younger students usually excited for the lesson, this positive attitude is vital to ensure learning and progress.
I usually work in an educational game for primary aged students, either as a reward at the end or to break up a more challenging lesson. In maths this could be practising known facts such as times tables or number bonds or a game based around topics such as time, money, roman numerals etc. In English games may be around spelling rules, word classification, synonyms etc. These games aren't always linked to the lesson at hand as they are a good way to keep on top of past knowledge and find any gaps in the curriculum. Use of stickers and small prizes ensures concentration, effort and keeps students working to the best of their abilities.

A-Level Maths
My combined love of mathematics, studying and teaching has led me to spend the summer going over the A-level curriculum to refresh myself with the syllabus and increase confidence with how to tackle the more challenging A-level questions. I’m excited to begin teaching this more advanced qualification as it follows on well from the Higher GCSE and challenges students to combine all previous knowledge with the many new techniques they’ll learn along the way. For this subject I will follow a set curriculum preparing for the topics as the arise with relevant presentations, worksheets and homeworks as needed.

Teaching
I believe in a student-centred hands on approach to learning where student and teachers play an active and equal role in teaching. Children need to be involved in the activities and learning is a continuous discussion between the two, with tasks being adapted to suit the child’s needs and advancement through the topic. Mathematics is best understood visually and in real life situations, whilst this isn’t always possible, it enhances understanding when done. This can be as simple as using counters and drawing pictures to building models and using objects around the house.

It is important students have a positive attitude to learning and remember the best way to learn is to be an active learner. Students are encouraged to apply knowledge they already have to help try approach new questions before instantly asking for help, this develops essential skills for exam success. When stuck, I often ask students to state, "I know..." or to draw a diagram, this usually leads to more success than the student realised they were capable of.

Tutoring isn't just for those who are struggling, it can be important tool in ensuring your child's success in helping them achieve top grades. Where possible, starting tuition prior to exam years will largely increase students success rates.