Simon Lowe

My style of tutoring combines lecture style presentation with seminar style interaction based around asking students leading questions and encouraging them to use their own creativity and sense of logic to discover answers to questions, whilst simultaneously directing the conversation to where required by the exercise. This works well in Philosophy in particular, as it is all about studying the nature of problems and how problems may be solved by the application of thought and reason. As per my academic background, I also encourage students to go out and do their own research, and so I like to signpost ways to do this effectively, and where to go, depending on the subject in question. For example, I find that not enough people necessarily know how to use Google Scholar these days. I also offer editorial advice on how to proofread, edit and format one's work, and how to correctly reference citations. Introducing software like Grammarly and Mendeley are certainly one way to make things easier for students who are struggling, and I use Mendeley myself, but a fundamental grasp of the basics of grammar, syntax and clause structure, independent of these are a must for anyone looking to get into any kind of professional writing jobs, of which their are many from journalism to creative writing to digital marketing. The applications of the well written word are endless, and I genuinely feel it is important for their future career prospects that the next generation knows how to use it well.