Evidence-based teaching

Educational studies show that we learn best when our minds are active. Passive learning, such as reading a text or listening to a lecture, tends to be ineffective and adversely affects memory retention.

The core principle of my teaching method is to keep the student's mind as active as possible. The luxury of one-to-one teaching means that I can continually test their grasp of the subject matter and ensure that they are constantly engaged and working hard. I aim to guide my students through a series of well-placed questions, which enables them to determine the correct answer, rather than simply being handed it.

Continual progress reporting 

Lesson summaries, and all results with detailed comments, are included in my reporting. Click the video below for a quick demonstration of the layout, and click here for an example. Since the document is stored online, you simply bookmark the link and access this feedback instantly.

Educational consultancy

Having placed a large number of students into the UK's leading educational establishments, I have detailed knowledge of entrance requirements, as well as a thorough understanding of what type of student each school is looking for. After the initial assessment, I am able to advise which schools I believe will be attainable and devise a comprehensive tutoring schedule to achieve these goals. The student is constantly monitored as their exams draw closer, to ensure that they remain on course.

Additionally, I offer one-off assessments and consultancy sessions aimed to assist parents in selecting an appropriate school. This service is also regularly used to check wider academic development.

Targeted Homework

Homework is always tailored precisely to the student's needs and I make sure that the concepts covered during the lesson are tested in the subsequent homework tasks. This has been proven to aid retention, since the student is reminded of the ideas just as they are beginning to forget them. 

 a full education -  not just teaching to the test

Although I do spend time familiarising students with exam layout and improving exam technique, there is no substitute for a developing a deep understanding of the subject's core concepts. This has the dual advantage of being outstanding preparation for all possible exam scenarios, as well as ensuring that students are well-prepared for future academic life at their chosen school. 

Further details about specific educational techniques I use during my lessons can be found in the Articles & Resources section of this website.

The latest educational Technology

A significant proportion of my teaching takes place online. I make use of the latest educational software and the attainment levels of my online students are extremely high. Many of these students prefer to work in their familiar surroundings (at their desk with their computer) and find the online tools to be a novel and interactive means of learning.  These lessons are conducted via an audio/video link (Skype, Zoom or Facetime), and online whiteboard software to view and edit work in real-time. The software has particularly good maths support and, for example, allows me and the student write maths equations and plot functions on graphs seamlessly. Take a look at the demo of the whiteboard here.