William Mathews

Having being tutored from when I was in Year 2, up until Year 11, I have had a lot of experience with being on the receiving end of tutoring, and I've had the chance to see different approaches in action. That's why I don't commit to a single approach, and I am more flexible. Different students require different learning methods and environments to thrive.

Take Maths for example; some students can be given a formula, or method, and easily apply it where nessecary, these students tend to have a more methological thought process. However, other students may be more inquisitive, and unable to truly understand what the formula is, and why it is used, without proper context, and explanation, which is typically through the use of a proof (mathematical or visual).

Practice makes perfect, however, having spent many tutoring lessons sitting with a tutor in silence doing practice questions, I can understand how ineffective this can be. Sometimes, conversation can be a better approach to teaching, for instance, instead of having a student do the problem in front of me, they could simply explain how to answer the question, which can be less tedious and quite time-saving.

In the context of language learning, communication and practice is quintessential. However, if you're looking to achieve a good grade in your GCSE French/Mandarin exam, typically being able to answer questions is not enough. A good strategy is using lesson time to look through texts provided from course materials, and ensuring full understanding of the material, and being able to re-use the complex language phrases and structures used, in exams.