Timothy

I am a current PhD student at Durham University, who has recently completed a Master's there. The focus of this PhD is on scientific computing, which allows me to focus on the applications of maths in computer science. I believe that this helps me to explain why we learn certain concepts, which sometimes seem arbitrary when they're first introduced, so the student is more motivated to learn them.

Tutoring Experience

I have been providing tutoring in maths throughout my degree (for the last 4 year), on a one-on-one basis, and to small groups of students (up to 3). I also have a year of experience in tutoring computer science. This tutoring has been with students from year 8 to year 12, although the majority has been with GCSE students.

Tutoring Approach

My general approach is that students benefit from using information that is provided to them as early as possible, as only then can their understanding be established. As such, my lesson plan usually starts with a discussion of the basic material for a topic, during which I can assess their understanding and explain areas if required. At this point my focus is on helping them to develop some intuition for the topic. From here we work through increasingly advanced problems to solidify this understanding.