Dylan

Tutoring Experience

I have taught students at GCSE, A-level, and IB as well as working as a mentor for the OIC (Oxford International College) summer programme in 2019 and 2020. OIC was especially enjoyable as its focus was preparation for entrance exams such as the STEP, MAT and PAT papers.

I also have teaching experience with larger groups, working as a physics teacher part-time for A-level and IB at an independent school in Oxford. I led additional sessions for students participating in the UK Physics Olympiad, and also on the PAT for those interested in applying to Oxford.

Tutoring Approach

My teaching method makes much use of worked examples and exercises. As with anything, the key to success in mathematics and physics is practice. Providing clear and engaging exposition and explanation is important but is ultimately insufficient without also going through the nitty-gritty of tackling actual problems and helping students to work through the inevitable mistakes and conceptual misunderstandings.

I also believe that it is important for the tutor to see this process for themselves, in real time; tutoring is not lecturing, and we have the ability to nudge students in the right direction when they run into obstacles and to streamline the, often messy, experience of mastering a new technique or fully understanding a new concept. This is particularly essential for university entrance tests like the MAT or PAT where the style of questions can be very different to typical A-level exam questions and can seem strange and intimidating to students who have not tried them before.