Steven

I am a Philosophy Specialist Teacher, tutor, and recent (2012) graduate of Edinburgh University with an MA Philosophy and Theology degree with First Class Honours. In my final year I was awarded a prize for achieving the highest overall marks in my department. At my high school I received all As and A-stars in every competitive exam.

In my spare time I love to read, listen to classical music, and play racquet sports (tennis, badminton, squash). I also have a budding interest in film and I am currently attempting to make my way (very slowly) through the book '1001 movies to see before you die.'

My main focus in both my teaching and tutoring work is to develop in my students a reasoned engagement with the world and themselves.

Tutoring Experience

As a TrinityTESOL qualified teacher of English as a foreign language, I have previously acquired teaching experience working at a private language school in London. During my time there I found that I prefer the one-to-one teaching format because I can identify learning difficulties sooner, monitor progress more easily, and focus on specific areas where attention is required. I acquired over 200 hours of tutoring experience during my time working as an English teacher.

Given both my experience and my enthusiasm for this style of teaching, I decided that I was well-suited to tutor privately in my specialist subjects from university Philosophy, Theology, and Religious Studies (and the related subjects 'Critical Thinking' and 'Thinking Skills') in 2012. I have a very strong academic record in these subjects. In addition to graduating with a First Class MA Philosophy and Theology degree from Edinburgh University, I also won a prize for top graduate (best overall mark in the last two years) in my department.

Since then I have done a variety of tutoring work. In the academic year 2012-2013 I tutored to completion a girl for her Oxford University interview and A-level Thinking Skills Assessment, two boys for Religious Studies AS level and two for Religious Studies 13+ and entry to Eton.

In the year 2013-2014 I privately tutored students for 11+, 13+, GCSE, and A-level exams in English, Maths, Religious Studies and Philosophy. I also tutored small groups of Maths students at Bishop Challoner Collegiate school in Tower Hamlets after school 3 days a week for their Edexcel GCSE papers.

In the year 2014-2015 I tutored a group of underachieving students for Maths GCSE at Cardinal Pole Catholic School. I also tutored students in English 13+, Religious Studies GCSE and Philosophy A-level. In addition, I home-schooled a boy for his Religious Studies GCSE. This meant ensuring that he had the adequate subject knowledge, setting homework, marking papers, and setting and marking mock exams.

In 2015-2016 I helped two students with their Philosophy and Religious Studies A-level exams with the OCR and WJEC boards. I also home-schooled a boy for the full academic year for his Edexcel IGCSE in Religious Studies. I prepared a boy for Newton Prep and he was accepted at the school with a full scholarship.

In 2016-2017 I tutored a boy for their Maths GCSE and they received an 8 (equivalent to an A*). I also tutored a couple of philosophy undergraduates, and two students for their 13+ and 11+ exams.

In 2017-2018 I tutored 5 A level students in Religious Studies and Philosophy. I also tutored a couple of boys in Philosophy and English and prepared another for unconditional entry into Whitgift independent school at 13+.

In addition to my tutoring work, as a Senior Specialist and Teacher Trainer with the Philosophy Foundation I am responsible for facilitating philosophical enquiries with children from years 1 to 13. At the moment I work as the resident philosopher in five primary schools and two secondary schools. I have facilitated enquiries with over a thousand different students in the past few years. In late 2015 I took on additional responsibilities as a teacher trainer for the Foundation, helping with INSET days as well as observing and training other philosophy specialist teachers. In 2017 I delivered a talk to Kingston Grammar School sixth formers on the topic of disagreement. I also assisted with research into metacognition in partnership with Kings College London. I have also written about philosophy and education for Philosophy Now, Open Democracy, Creative Teaching and Learning and Innovate My School.

Since 2018 I have also taught Philosophy A level part time at Pimlico Academy to years 12 and 13. In 2020 I added to this experience teaching sixth formers in my work with Debate Chamber. I taught several philosophical workshops for students keen to further their knowledge and prepare for university-level seminar teaching and discussion.

Tutoring Approach

I believe there are three principal areas where my tutoring can add particular value on top of a child's schooling. First, as a philosophy specialist teacher in schools I am uniquely placed to help your child with their higher-order thinking and evaluation skills for RS and Philosophy. I use a variety of methods in my teaching and tutoring to encourage students to think more deeply, critically and creatively about problems. There often isn't enough time to examine an individual's ideas in depth in the classroom but I can help with argument structure (I have a background in logic), how to spot ambiguity and complexity in questions, and how to translate these ideas onto the written page in a clear and compelling way.

Second, I can help your child with study strategies including how to revise, take notes that will stick, set goals and manage their time. There are a number of good resources available in the literature but schools often can’t capitalise on these due to a lack of time during school hours. There are currently some companies which are trying to address this gap at a secondary school level (e.g. Elevate UK) but it is still a persistent problem which is best addressed at a one-to-one level.

The third area where I can add value is tailoring the material to each individual in a way that accommodates their learning styles and preferences. Particularly in maths, some students prefer abstract explanations and some prefer concrete examples, some like maths to be presented in a way that doesn't seem like maths at all but more like storytelling. I have experience with explaining mathematical concepts in a variety of different ways to suit each individual student.

I enclose some feedback I have had to date from parents:

Wendy D- 'Thanks so much for your hard work and caring attitude'

Kate M- 'Just thought that you may like to know that after a rather gruelling interview process Beth has been offered a place at University College, Oxford. She felt that you were an enormous help in preparing her for both the exam and the whole process. You gave her great confidence. Thank you so much' 

Amie C- 'thanks for all your wonderful help with Nikolai. We notice a big difference in his 'work ethic' and attitude

Stephanie R- Steven provided tutoring in Maths to my 14 year old daughter for one year. Apart from being reliable and punctual, Steven has a lovely patient teaching style and was able to build my daughters confidence in the subject. He was able to go over the topics that she was studying at school and explain them clearly so that she gained a much better understanding of them. I would definitely recommend Steven.

Simon J- 'I think you made a big difference to Aaron over these two months so thank you again'