Samantha

Hello! I'm a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Sheffield, earning my PhD in mathematical modelling. I've been awarded a Fellowship with the Higher Education Academy as a result of my contributions to high quality teaching with the university, which I'm very proud of! I'm a graduate of Mathematical Modelling (MSc), earning first class honours, and have an undergraduate degree in Mathematics with Philosophy (BSc). I've gained a lot of teaching experience during my time at university and otherwise, which has contributed to me becoming a very a trustworthy, reliable and professional tutor. I aspire to become a maths lecturer, and so being able to inspire others through teaching is very important to me!

I recognise how important it is to be adept in maths, as a good grade in maths is usually essential to progress onto following levels of education, or even when getting jobs that are unrelated to maths after leaving school. It is great knowing that I have helped someone to achieve their goal, whatever that goal might be.

Tutoring Experience

I've worked as a General Teaching Assistant for the university, which means that I've helped out with undergraduate and postgraduate tutorials, answering any questions that students have and working through question sheets with them. For one module, I designed and recorded video tutorials and led online sessions for the students, as I wanted to ensure the university adapted to the growing popularity of hybrid learning (many students now work from home).

I also volunteered with the Action Tutoring charity, which involved going to a school in Sheffield every week and giving one-on-one tutoring sessions to GCSE students who were struggling to achieve their desired grade. Whether this be a grade A* or a grade C, it was up to me to tailor appropriate and effective lesson plans for the individual student, and leave them prepared for their exams. I received comprehensive training for these sessions, which furthered my understanding of the school curriculum and covered safeguarding policies. On their feedback forms, students expressed their growing confidence in maths since having me as a tutor, which has encouraged me to take on more work with this charity.

In my third year at university, I volunteered as a team leader for the STEM Outreach Project on behalf of The University of Sheffield. This involved preparing lesson plans for primary school children, and then going into local schools for an hour and a half to teach the children in a fun and interactive way about STEM (science, technology, engineering & maths) subjects.

Lastly, I have tutored numerous students via First Tutors, with ages of tutees ranging between 5 to 32. This has given me the most valuable experience of tutoring, and I feel I am very well prepared to tutor students of all ages and abilities.

Tutoring Approach

I have always believed that it is essential to fully understand each step along the way when solving a maths problem; not just the method, but also the intuition behind it. If someone can comfortably think about a maths problem intuitively rather than just memorising methods, they are far less likely to panic in an exam or forget what they have been taught. This is why I often draw pictures, where relevant, to aid learning. Also, when maths begins to use fewer numbers and increasingly more letters, I will always go through examples that use numbers to illustrate the reasoning behind the method.

As I was recently a student, I understand how it feels to be a young person in education. Some people learn very differently to others, which is not always accounted for in a class containing many people, and I am confident that I can accommodate for different people having different needs.