Viv

“Viv is a truly exceptional tutor, who differentiates and tailors each lesson to the needs of the student. Viv builds relationships with her students and goes above and beyond for every pupil. I cannot recommend Viv enough!”
-Colleague at an agency that I work with

“We really appreciated how you listened and identified where the weak areas were, paced and structured the lessons, gave clear explanations of relevant material and the patient, positive and happy nature with which you delivered lessons. Thank you!”
-Parent

I am a Cambridge Natural Sciences graduate with a passion for making learning more interesting and manageable for all of my students. I would describe myself as patient, fun, creative and open-minded. I treat each student as an individual and alter my teaching style to adapt to their needs. I love everything to do with maths, science and the scientific method. I also enjoy history, philosophy, baking, crafting, running and performing stand-up comedy!

Tutoring Experience

I have been tutoring for 2 years now and in that time I have delivered over 650 hours of lessons. I have taught students ranging for age 8 to age 30. I also have extensive SEN experience, seeing positive outcomes for students with ADHD, dyslexia, general learning difficulties and severe mental health problems.

Prior to tutoring, I worked for 2 years in various roles in an inpatient psychiatric unit. I was working with individuals with severe mental health problems and/or Learning Disabilities. One of the roles - Psychology Assistant - involved small-group, interactive sessions, teaching patients the basics of various therapeutic techniques. My time working there taught me the value of patience, attention to detail and setting achievable goals.

Tutoring Approach

My teaching style is strongly influenced by the Tutoring Standards pedagogy, which was the basis of assessment for my Professional Tutoring Certificate. My philosophy is to give the student the space to work things out for themselves by asking them the right questions. I avoid one-way lecturing because dialogue is so key to learning.

It is very important to me to maintain genuine interest and engagement from the student. I get to know them to get an idea of their hobbies and interests to integrate them into our lesson where possible.

THE FINER DETAILS
Before our first lesson, I ask the student to complete a questionnaire so that I get an idea of who they are, how they learn and what their strengths and weaknesses are on the course. This helps us to prioritise our time more effectively.

Lessons usually consist of me asking the student thought-provoking questions so that I get an idea of how they are thinking about the concepts. We discuss the topic in depth to clarify any areas of confusion. I use various kinds of media and teaching aids to facilitate this. We will also address questions and problems together and discuss any homework they have completed. At the end of the lesson, the whiteboard will be saved as a pdf so that we have a record to refer to.

I usually set homework for my students at least once a week. This helps them to solidify their knowledge with independent practice and track their progress. Each piece of homework is put together to meet the needs of the individual – students have a lot on their plate and I don’t like making them work just for the sake of it.