Ashton

Hi! I’m Ashton and I’m currently doing a part-time master’s degree in Mental Health at the University of Nottingham.

I have a genuine love of learning and really enjoy sharing my enthusiasm for academic study with younger students; I firmly believe that getting the qualifications you need really doesn’t have to be a struggle. I graduated with a first-class degree in Psychology last July and spent most of the year conducting a research project in personality psychology, part of which will soon be published.

Aside from my studies, I enjoy long, muddy walks in the countryside and trying out the array of restaurants Nottingham has to offer. You can expect our lessons to be goal-oriented, varied and supportive- no two students are the same and I hold that fact at the centre of my teaching.

Tutoring Experience

During my time at university, I mentored Psychology students through the first year of their degree, planning and delivering sessions to help them tackle the parts of the course they were struggling with. I really enjoyed getting to know my mentees individually and working out how they learn best, where they need challenging, and where they need encouraging. I’ve also had experience with younger age groups, working with children and young people in a church setting for several years now.

Whilst at school, I volunteered weekly to help EAL students (English as an Additional Language) learn how to read. This was an experience I found incredibly rewarding and educational. If English isn’t your first language and you’re struggling to get the brilliant ideas in your head down on paper, I appreciate your frustration and we can certainly work on that together.

Tutoring Approach

Since my Bachelor’s degree was in Psychology, my tutoring approach is informed by educational psychology- the study of how humans learn and remember information. This means that throughout my lessons, not only do I help you to get to grips with the content you need to learn, but I like to interweave lots of different memory techniques to make the learning process more efficient and enjoyable.

I like my teaching to be student-lead with you setting achievable goals for yourself. With my guidance, I’ll support you in breaking down big aims into more manageable steps, especially in our first session as we think about what you’d like to gain from tutoring. The objective of each lesson will be really clear so you know what we’ll be working on, but this will be adaptable depending on how things go on the day. Importantly, I believe that the best learning takes place in a supportive, safe environment, so I strongly believe in cultivating a friendly working relationship where there is no such thing as a silly question!

I can help you plan your study time outside of the session too, coming up with a revision strategy or structure you can stick to. And when I say a revision structure, I don’t mean a packed schedule with hours of rote learning squeezed into every available gap… I mean a realistic, sensible routine with efficient, productive periods of learning allowing plenty of time for you to rest and have a life outside of your studies.