Mandy K.

I have taught KS3, GCSE, IGCSE and A level maths in a variety of settings for over 25 years. This includes secondary schools, further education colleges and private tuition, both online and face to face. I have been an advanced skills teacher and conducted teacher training in mathematics pedagogy and general teaching methodologies. My main specialism, over the years, has been preparing students for their GCSE maths exams. I have had much success with confidence building and ensuring students achieve their best possible grade.

I have taught all major GCSE maths exam boards and also adult functional skills and access maths. This depth of knowledge enables me to tailor my lessons to an individual student. I will devise an individual teaching plan for my students but I am also happy for them to suggest topics. 

I have had much success working with high achieving students, looking for a grade 8/9 in GCSE, but equally, I am able to motivate the less enthusiastic students. I enjoy the challenge of engaging them in the mathematics and showing them that success is possible for them. I have experience of borderline students needing to ensure they achieve 4/5 at GCSE.

I also tutor students who need to bridge the gap between GCSE and A level maths. Even for students with good GCSE grades the algebraic skills needed for A level often need working on in order to access the higher A level grades. 

My tutoring style is discussion based where I will draw out solutions from the students with prompts and encouragement. My lessons are carefully planned so that I have questions that are targeted at the current level of the student. In this way I can build confidence and they can progress in small steps to the next level. It is often surprising how much a student can improve in a short time once they start to believe in themselves.

My experience means that I know many different methods for solving mathematical problems. This means I can adapt my teaching to build on the methods the students have been taught in their schools and the methods they prefer. 

I believe that understanding is the key to making progress in mathematics. I will explain carefully, with real life analogies if possible, and make connections between topics. I will build up to exam type questions where needed using current exam board material.

I make good use of the interactive tools on the tutoring platforms and encourage the students to use them and write on the screen themselves. I also have a good knowledge of mathematics websites so can advise students where the best support is available. 

My overarching aim is confidence building. This is achieved with praise and encouragement and targeted lessons. I guarantee progress will be made!