Andrew

Hey there! My name's Andrew! I am from the northeast of Scotland, UK. My mother tongue is split between English (officially) and Scots (unofficially). I speak the Doric dialect of Scots (have a look on YouTube!). I love meeting new people and experiencing different cultures. I also love gaming, exercising, and putting myself outside my comfort zone.

An interesting fact about me: I was previously self-employed as a sole-trader, where I decided to venture outside my comfort zone and become a qualified/certified Swedish Massage Therapist. I trained through the Scottish Massage Schools (SMS), obtained my formal Diploma in Swedish Massage, and was a member of the Scottish Massage Therapists' Organisation (SMTO).

As I said, I am passionate about learning. Here is what I am currently learning myself:

• I am currently a Grade 1 drummer, hoping to make my way to Grade 4.
• I am learning the Russian language, and have my own tutor for this.
• I am learning the Georgian language, and have my own tutor for this.
• I am learning to play chess, and now have a rating of 1300.
• I am training to run a marathon.
• I am learning the basics of photography.

My future plans for the next 5 years include:

• Reading/studying a PhD.
• Securing employment as a university lecture.
• Opening my own business.

Tutoring Experience

I have been working as a Student Development & Wellbeing Adviser at the University of Glasgow for the last 5 years. Before this, I worked as a Study Skills Tutor for 5 years at my local North East Scotland College. I was nominated by staff and won the 'Calm in the Eye of the Storm' award for my ability to deliver a great service under pressure, and I was also nominated by students and won the 'Support Staff of the Year' award for the quality of service I delivered to students. Within my current role, I specialise in helping students with study skills, core skills, life skills, employability skills, and critical thinking development. Further, I provide accommodation advice, cultural advice, relationship advice, financial advice, and wellbeing advice.

Therefore, experience is both within college and university settings, the further and higher education sectors. As a result, I specialise in working only with college and both undergraduate and postgraduate university students. Within my current role, I deliver and/or create workshops, presentations, seminars/tutorials, 1-1 specialist support; group support, lectures, online courses, online and physical learning material.

I achieved a First Class BA (Hons) Applied Social Sciences degree from the Robert Gordon University (a vocational, highly skills-focused university in Aberdeen City), where I was awarded the Julian Bell Award and Student Contribution Award in my final year. I achieved a MA in Philosophy (Merit) from the Open University. I studied this for 2 years full-time, while simultaneously working full-time and working as a massage therapist part-time.

As a Study & Life Skills Specialist, what do I really do? I help students to:

• Become independent, lifelong learners.
• Increase their grade average.
• Become more employable.
• Develop an increased sense of self-awareness.

• Enhance their resiliency & wellbeing.
• Establish success routines & habits.

Tutoring Approach

Firstly, it's always super important that you feel as comfortable as possible during our sessions. Therefore, our sessions will always be person-focused, i.e., about what you want and/or need.

Secondly, my sessions are largely practical, with emphasis on helping you to develop the skills you need and hone your traits, i.e., not only learning how to do something but having the structure and consistency to start it. This is why I coach while I tutor, because what is the point on knowing how to use a skill if you become overwhelmed or cognitively exhausted? For instance, study skills are an excellent way to prepare for an examination, but they do directly help you understand how to deal with time-pressure during the exam... coaching techniques do.

Thirdly, I use a holistic approach to tutoring, specifically to give the tutee a comprehensive understanding of subject matter. This involves 1) dialectical/inquiry based learning, 2) collaborative learning, 3) integrative learning, 4) reflective learning, 5) experiential learning, and 6) student-centred learning, 7) and mindset coaching. All learning materials I have created are evidence-based, anecdotal, and based on my own 10 years' experience with students.

I do this by working with you on the following topics (list not exhaustive):

• Self-management (accountability, time-management, scheduling, prioritising, planning).
• Wellbeing-management (avoiding information overload, tackling analysis paralysis, coping strategies, preventing burnout).
• How to learn (memory, internalisation, storage, active recall).
• Academic writing (essays, reports, dissertations).
• Critical thinking (problem-solving, thinking logically and rationally, analysing, evaluating).
• Research technique (online and offline research methods).
• Reading technique (activating, inferring, monitoring/clarifying, questioning, summarising, searching/selecting, visualising/organising).
• Internet browser optimisation (assistive tech, learning software, browser extensions, organisation).
• Study space optimisation (strategic placement, elimination, minimisation) .
• Laptop/PC optimisation (folder systems, file extension strategies).
• Transition from college to university (adapting to a new learning environment).
• Transition to a UK-based university (the new skills necessary for international students, independent learning).
• Career skills (CV writing, cover letter creating, mock interviews, etc.).
• Referencing (all systems/types).
• Public speaking (anchoring, flow, structure, delivery).

When you work with me, you will receive the following benefits:

• A tutor with 10 years further and higher education industry-specific experience.
• Ongoing accountability - via the chat function.
• An individualised learning/development plan.
• Personalised tutoring sessions.
• No judgement whatsoever.
• Unique core learning materials.
• Additional learning materials.