Sam Mace

Possessing over six years experience in teaching, I have a BA, MA, and PhD in Politics and up until June I taught at a Russell Group university as a Teaching Fellow in Politics. Alongside my university teaching experience on a dozen modules, I have also supervised over 30 dissertations and been an academic personal tutor to more than 50 students. Furthermore, I have also taught at Oxford Scholastica, a private tutoring company for three years delivering politics lessons to those aged between 12-16.

I am therefore not only an experienced tutor but I am also an extremely adaptable one. I have taken mental health first aid training and have been trained to teach students with ADHD and Autism as well as other disability requirements, so I am comfortable teaching inclusively. I have also undertaken pedagogical research on AI and best practices which was delivered at University College London as part of a conference with scholars from Cambridge and the US participating on my panel. Thus, I am also able to confidently advise about the use of AI with a student.

My lesson plans will vary depending upon need and demand from yourself. Ideally, I will begin with a free consultation session to understand what it is you want from tutoring and what style suits you best. Some learners prefer to be 'led' whereas other prefer to do the 'leading'. I am happy with whatever suits that specific learner, although generally active learning is better than passive learning for a student's ability to retain and examine information.

Generally, my lessons are conversational in style enabling active learning mirroring a conversation. Doing this enables the student to take in more information and 'play' with it i.e., critically examine the information allowing greater depth and elasticity of thought. I am more than happy for a student to take notes during this process and will also provide all the materials for the session a day before the session takes place.

I will oftentimes use Powerpoint, videos, and essay extracts to present information but I avoid 'death by powerpoint'. These tools enable myself and the student to be guided along the material where more depth is then discussed verbally. I routinely use concrete examples enabling a learner to better grapple with the theoretical complexity of the subject. This allows theory and practice to blend together enabling the student to understand principles and applications simultaneously.

Each seminar covers a single topic ensuring a robust understanding of the concepts discussed in the seminar. This allows the student to fully digest the material without rushing through it and I am also happy to go back and repeat any material that is necessary. In essence, I always prioritise the student's needs and discuss this in consultation with the parent when it is necessary.

I will generally tailor the sessions to be an hour long but am also happy to extend the session if a student or a parent wishes to do a double session. I will always ensure a 5 minute break is taken following the first hour if a 2 hour session is requested so the student can be refreshed for the second half of the session.

I am also happy to set essay questions and give constructive feedback on a student's efforts. I focus first on the positives of the attempt and then move towards what a student could perhaps do better. This feedback is delivered in a way that helps the student achieve their goals as we work on their skills together. I am more than happy to work with a student on essay writing skills such as writing, structure and vocabulary use. This is generally priced into the hourly rate, although if a student wishes to write a weekly essay, there may be an additional charge for this as this can become a time-consuming exercise.