Rachel

15+ years tutoring experience
Senior examiner with leading exam board
Best results in Sussex for value added in AS Philosophy
Philosophy students in the top 10% Nationally
Qualified teacher
Huge range of bespoke resources and exam materials
Full time private tutor
Excellent reviews from students and parents
4 years teaching experience as course co-ordinator for A-Level Philosophy

Rachel is fully CRB / DBS checked and has been a private tutor for the past fifteen years after finishing a degree in Philosophy from Leeds University. Different students have different needs and areas they need to focus on, so the structure of lessons is always a collaborative process to ensure the student best engages with the subject.

Tutoring Experience

I have worked with students with a broad range of abilities, from those that need some extra help to reach their full potential, to those that aren’t in mainstream schooling and as such don’t have any previous knowledge of the subject. Some students are very visual in their learning, others are very shy and need a lot of encouragement to speak, and there are others who are extremely capable if you ask them the right questions. Using a range of resources I can tailor a programme of study to suit each student.

Some of the key skills that are central to philosophy and religious studies are:

o Valuable critical thinking skills; the ability to identify the key issues in decision making or problem solving, the ability to look at a problem from different angles and identify alternative course of action.
o Communication skills; the ability to summarise the content of a message clearly and objectively, to differentiate fact from value, to express one’s point of view without violating others’ rights.
o Information management; the ability to sort data, to compile and rank information and to use this information to solve problems.
o Argument skills; the ability to use argumentation techniques to persuade others, to reason from premises to conclusions, to assess the implications of a position which has been taken.

Tutoring Approach

My role as tutor is not only to help the student understand the concepts involved but also to gain the confidence to discuss those concepts in an analytical manner. Religious Studies and Philosophy are disciplines that greatly benefit from one-on-one tuition due to the complexity of the issues. In large lesson groups individuals can easily become confused and aren’t always able to receive the instant feedback needed to further explore the subject matter.

As a tutor not only do I expand students’ knowledge base but also engage students in a positive way with the subject. If students have been finding a subject difficult their enjoyment of learning can become affected and they can lose the motivation needed to gain a broader understanding. By showing enthusiasm for my subject and using relevant examples and discussion points I reintegrate fun back into learning about the subject.

During my time tutoring I have noticed how easily students can lose confidence in their abilities, which at times can be a barrier in their learning. By encouraging students to ask questions, looking at what they are doing right and breaking down topics into their simplest formulation, I help the individual gain confidence in the subject and the skills to answer questions fully.