A typical KS3 session would begin with a focus on classwork to ensure that the student is up to date and understanding topics from school. The aim of this is to ensure that the student feels confident with the maths they are currently learning. I try to avoid covering topics that a student has not yet seen in school however the pandemic has left many gaps in the curriculum for students so I will fill in these gaps wherever possible.
If we still have time I like to spend it on problem solving questions. This is to encourage the student to think outside the box and use their maths skills in new contexts. I also find that these problems can be enjoyable for students and promote confidence in their ability.
GCSE sessions will always begin with an overview of current topics learnt in school. It is important at GCSE to ensure that students do not fall behind with any topic as the curriculum has expanded and consequently content is sometimes taught faster. There are many gaps in knowledge because of the recent pandemic and this can cause problems in GCSE lessons where the foundations haven’t been fully taught in KS3.
I try to do a set of mixed questions each session to ensure that the majority of topics are constantly being covered and do not get forgotten. I occasionally give a similar set of questions to be completed as homework for the following week. The aim of this is for students to continue these methods in a different environment that will hopefully make it easier for them when it comes to revision in year 11.
Closer to exams I will focus on exam questions and discuss exam technique.
I can provide support for Maths and Further Maths at A level. My strengths are suited to students that would mainly benefit from revision in Pure, Statistics and Decision mathematics.
At this level students often know what they want to cover each week and I am flexible to go with the questions that they have. Otherwise we will usually look at homework that has been set by school and recent topics to ensure that the student is keeping up with the fast pace of A level. A level maths is a big step up from GCSE so it is important not to fall behind at any point. I try to pick out questions that will extend and are similar to past exam questions.
If any students are particularly gifted at mathematics I will extend their learning and understanding using problem solving. Some tutors will teach topics beyond their key stage (some going to degree level topics), whilst this encourages curiosity it can also encourage students to learn methods instead of having an in depth understanding of a topic. I believe it is more important to encourage curiosity within their key stage in order to develop as a good mathematician. I will ensure that students can explain concepts to me by asking them appropriate questions and giving problems to solve within their key stage. Where possible I will try not to go beyond their school topics as this can cause boredom in class when they reach the corresponding topics in school.