David Mcgregor

I am an experienced tutor and Oxbridge graduate, having clocked over 500 hours of 1:1 and group lessons, with additional experience working within the SEN Department in one of West Sussex's top independent schools.

Optimising the student experience and their learning outcomes is very important to me. As such, I keep a log to show which areas students are excelling in and which might need revisiting; identifying areas of strength and weakness is an important preliminary step in my goal-oriented approach to learning, allowing me to report back to my students and make frequent progress reviews. This allows the creation of a clear progress roadmap. I also understand that, even with exceptional knowledge of a subject, exam technique can be a stumbling block for some students, which is why I ensure that focus is not only on knowledge acquisition but also on a tactical and pragmatic approach to examinations. Of course, it is also important for students to feel positive about their learning and outcomes, and a positivity about ones own abilities allows for the best possible exam performance.

My lessons will usually start with an overarching introduction to the topic of hand, facilitating understanding of the fundamentals of the subject. Finding ways to help tutees understand the real-world application of the curriculum also allows, in my experience, for greater engagement with the subject. As the lesson continues, we will go into greater depth about the subject, with ample opportunity for students to think independently and hone their critical faculties. If desired, I will also set short bespoke assignments to help consolidate learning between lessons, which I will also mark and appraise.

Effectively tailoring course content to the specific needs of individual students is integral to my teaching style, and I have worked with students with a broad spectrum of academic interests and abilities. The specific hurdles faced by the SEN students with whom I worked allowed me to hone my teaching methods to best suit the students' specific needs. Working at one of the top independent schools in West Sussex, I was consistently praised for my clear and concise teaching style and friendly and approachable manner. It is also, I feel, important to acknowledge as a tutor that students will have varying levels of interest in the subject, so ensuring energy levels are kept high and that content is delivered in an engaging way is integral to good tuition. Enjoyment of learning is central to continued progress in a subject.

In my tutoring so far, I have traversed a broad range of subjects and topics, having experienced teaching students at KS2, KS3, GCSE and A-Level. Moreover, my work in independent schools has given me bespoke knowledge of the 7+, 11+, and 13+ curriculums, allowing students to attend schools such as Lancing College and Ditcham Park. At GCSE and A-level standard, my work with tutees has predominantly been with the Edexcel exam board, though I have also helped a student toward their AQA examinations (for GCSE English specifically). I also have some knowledge of CIE examinations, having studied for these myself during Sixth Form. If there are exam boards I am not yet acquainted with, I will happily familiarise myself in order to create the best learning outcomes for tutees.

During my time teaching and tutoring, I have clocked at least 500 hours of teaching time, divided fairly equally between face-to-face and online tuition. As I was working for a school providing remote learning during the pandemic, I have extensive experience teaching online both to groups and on a 1:1 basis. Of course, teaching in this way presents certain challenges, but integration of technological mediums is as important within my teaching as it is to the modern-day teenager, and I tend to combine the use of conference call software (e.g. Skype, Zoom) with the use of Google Docs and interactive presentations to allow for the best experience possible for pupils.