Joyce

I currently work as the Head of Sixth Form. I have pteviously worked as an Educational Manager and Sixth Form Academic Coach assisting students across all subjects of study.

I previously worked as a Psychology and Sociology Academic Mentor in Sixth Forms. I work with GCSE and A-level students to improve their grades and academic achievement. I graduated with a degree in Psychology BSc and am a person who has constantly achieved top grades throughout my academic years. I am able to analyse essay questions to find out exactly what is being asked of the student and am able to think critically about psychological and sociological issues.

As a graduate who has achieved a high 2:1 degree from the University of Surrey and Graduate Certificate in Counselling Psychology from City University, I have developed high standards of academic excellence and aspire to raise standards of achievement with students I work with. When tutoring and interacting with students, I believe that it is essential not only to encourage them to achieve the best but also to build a trusting relationship where they feel comfortable sharing their difficulties. I am considerate and am fully aware of the academic pressures students face but aspire to overcome these challenges with a positive attitude and determination.

I have a joyful yet conscientious attitude and am very empathetic to the needs and concerns of others. I have completed a Graduate Certificate in Counselling Psychology and so have a sympathetic attitude towards mental health and learning difficulties.

Tutoring Experience

During my work as a Psychology and Sociology Academic Mentor, I worked with GCSE and A-level students. I taught small groups and individuals how to structure essays, exam techniques and how to gain top marks in their academic work. Students tend to find A2 Psychology and Sociology difficult, therefore I help them unpack and understand each concept in a simple way. What tends to help students most is when I help them relate the content to themselves in an understandable way. Students have had noticeable differences in how they write and the grades they receive once they experienced one-to-one mentoring sessions with me.

I have also worked as a Teaching Assistant and Learning Support Assistant with primary and secondary students. I have commonly worked with children and students who require further help with particular subjects they have difficulty with. During university I worked with a particular student on the Tutoring and Mentoring Scheme. This involved me visiting him at school and providing him with one to one help with his English GCSE as a Mentor. He received positive feedback and was able to increase his grades with my help. I have also worked as an Outreach Ambassador encouraging primary, secondary and college students to go onto study Higher Education. In addition, I worked as a Court Life Mentor which involved me performing weekly visits to university students. I supported them academically and with other university issues they were facing.

I also am a Sixth Form Coach helping students write their UCAS Personal Statement and preparing for University. I have been officially trained and hold a Certificate from UCAS which equips me with the skills and knowledge to support students in applying for Universities. Students generally find starting their Personal Statements challenging. I have resources to help students progress smoothly through this process.

I have continually worked with a wide range of students originating from different cultures and backgrounds and find the experience very rewarding.

Tutoring Approach

My approach to tutoring is to first make sure that the student is feeling fully supported and comfortable with me tutoring them. I like to identify the targets that need to be met and then plan exactly what needs to be done to reach these targets. I then seek and discuss ways and styles that work best for the student. I generally help the students create a study and revision timetable to organise their academic year.

When tutoring, I would use resources prepared to help them improve their essay writing. This includes a Phrase Bank (to help start essays and paragraphs), AO1, AO2 and AO3 resources and Mark Schemes.

For Sociology, I help with the AQA specification which cover the topics of Families and Households, Education, Religion, Stratification and Differentiation and Research Methods in Context. For Psychology, I cover all topics in the AQA specification.

I would like to have sent a preview of the topic or homework the student needs help with so I know exactly what I’m working with. I normally work by the books to make sure that the student is reaching the right targets and learning/revising exactly what they need to. I would request that the student has the resources needed to learn and provide anything extra that would help their learning reach its maximum potential. I also schedule in breaks so that the student does not feel overworked! However, I do like to set targets to ensure that we have done everything initially planned and to make sure that the student is satisfied.

Preferably, I would like to meet in a public and safe environment (such as a library) however; I am willing to travel to the students home (providing that there is secure and trusted communication between myself and the student/student's parents).