Sean Biard

My lessons depend largely in student needs. I will do an intro session, usually just a set of questions I have compiled, to assess the student’s strong and weak areas. Based off this I then ask the student what areas they personally would like to focus on and then plan accordingly. Generally my sessions consist of a short teaching/discussion period on the topic and then, once I can see they have a decent grasp, some practice questions. If it is a new topic I will generally help or work through some simple examples first and then let the student walk me through how they would approach some questions. The questions will up in difficulty if I can see that the student is starting to understand the topic well and I always try to find the level they can get to. I really focus on anything the student asks and take as much time as needed to work through any issues. I always try to give multiple approaches to questions as everyone thinks and understands things in different ways so I try to cover a range of angles and methods. I try to create a very welcoming environment where every question the student has for me gets equal attention and reassure them that no question is insignificant. I like to use past paper questions specific to the exam board that the student is studying to best prepare them for the styles of questions they will see in their exams. I am always open to feedback from students and like to end the sessions with a review of how they thought the lessons was, how they feel on topic after the session and if they have any preferences for the next session.