Nooreen

Use of Mathematics and Physics over many years has instilled in me "intuitive understandings" of both disciplines at primary- and secondary-school levels; I seek to impart these skills to my students.

With the dearth, in schools, of high-quality Physics and Maths teachers - many driven out by low wages - and the abundance of paperwork, behaviour-control responsibilities and low staff to student ratios, there is little time left for actual education and it’s no wonder that increasing numbers of pupils are requiring extra support.

Makeshift quick fixes often employed by teachers at educational institutions, to deal with these circumstances, include encouraging rote learning and speeding through topics whilst paying no heed to whether concepts have been understood on deeply intuitive levels.

The above methods are insufficient for success in UKMT and selective-school-entrance papers and have decreased in effectiveness for attainment in GCSE and SATs examinations following reforms to syllabi and the introduction of more demanding content in recent years. As I disapprove of the aforementioned techniques on grounds of principle, I have welcomed the new curricula.

I offer a rarer approach: that of promoting fundamental understanding over memorisation, assisting the tutee in deriving problem-solving procedures from first principles where applicable.

Tutoring Experience

I was bookish at school and my patient and generous nature always led me to assisting others with their work. (The first memory I have of this is from the age of five!) My approach was to ask logical questions to help my classmates find their ways towards the correct methods and solutions. I felt it would not be fair on me to just give them the answers!

In 2015, I decided to begin utilising my talents in the realm of private tuition. Since then, I have garnered over 850 hours of experience tutoring a combination of:
- Physics (Undergraduate, A Level, GCSE)
- Mathematics (A Level, GCSE, KS3, KS2, KS1)
- English (IELTS, KS3, KS2)
- Science (KS3)
- UKMT (Junior Kangaroo, Junior Mathematical Challenge)
- 11+ (Mathematics)

Tutoring Approach

As mentioned, I prioritise meaningful over rote learning, usually resulting in steady improvement over extended periods of time.

Upon discussions with tutees and assessments of their current levels of attainment, I envision plans customised to their individual needs. Lessons may comprise teaching new material, working through examples, explaining concepts pupils have not understood and/or helping them tackle questions they have found problematic. If convenient to students' schedules, I set homework to be completed between sessions. There is ongoing evaluation of tutees' progress and plans are constantly revised to reflect what transpires.

I believe everyone, with some guidance and encouragement, has the ability to maximise one's potential and aspire to and aim for academic achievement.

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GROUP TUITION

For lessons shared amongst multiple students, calculate the rate per tutee using the following formula (some brackets below are mathematically unnecessary but have been included for the purpose of clarity):

the hourly price per student in the group
= the hourly price for an individual lesson - (£5 x (the number of students in the group - 1))

For instance, if four tutees are sharing a lesson normally costing £40/hour for an individual student, each pupil will now pay, each hour: £40 - (£5 x (4-1)) = £40 - (£5 x 3) = £40 - £15 = £25.

The maximum number of students that may be accommodated in each lesson is four.