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My tutoring approach

 

Meeting each student's individual needs lies at the heart of my approach to tutoring
 

Past learning and experience, present learning needs and future learning goals are all individual.  I therefore tailor my teaching to meet each student's particular needs.  Outlined below are specific teaching practices I employ as a specialist maths tutor to achieve this, assess and improve understanding, build confidence and foster independent learning and evaluation skills. 

Teaching practices I value and employ

General teaching skills

  • Avoid assuming prior understanding

  • Communicate clearly and precisely

  • Ask numerous, varied questions which test understanding

  • Elicit responses without leading, giving time to answer

  • Require the student to explain their thought processes

  • Listen to responses and observe carefully, to assess understanding

  • Identify misconceptions and gaps in understanding and correct these

 

 

 

  • Value the student’s contributions and answer their questions carefully

  • Set clear objectives for, facilitate, recognise and praise student progress

  • Be friendly, positive, enthusiastic and motivational

  • Be empathic and respectful of the student’s autonomy

  • Provide constructive feedback on completed work

  • Stimulate the student by providing an appropriate level of challenge and extension

 

 

 

 

 

  • Require the student to reason mathematically and explain their reasoning

  • Explain flaws in the student's mathematical logic and provide corrective guidance and encouragement

  • Provide ample opportunity for practice and consolidation of mathematical topics

  • Highlight important points and repeat them regularly

  • Use different methods and compare their efficiency to inform method selection

  • Highlight the role of mathematics in other fields of study, everyday life and work

 

 

Effective approaches for teaching maths specifically

 

  • Appreciate the specifications for and the demands of the course the student is studying

  • Highlight mathematical knowledge the student already has, to reduce anxiety

  • Make connections between related mathematical concepts and highlight patterns and similarities

  • Support using related examples, to extend mathematical knowledge and build confidence

  • Break multi-stage mathematical tasks down into small steps

  • Require the student to interpret and communicate mathematical information

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