Thomas

I have always had a passion for maths and would like to inspire that level of interest in a student. Instilling a true understanding of the "why" and not just the "how" helps a student see beyond just formulas which are applied mindlessly but tools arising logically to be used in novel situations. Of course, practising many problems is also very important so as to have the muscle memory and speed required for an exam.

No two students are the same, as they each start with their own knowledge base and will find different parts of a subject more challenging. Any teaching is adapted to the student and each subject is covered at their pace. Despite some differences, I do follow a general approach:

The first aim is to understand what the student knows and is struggling with. Here any past work is very useful and helps me locate any problems. This focuses the teaching.

When going through problems together, I make sure the student explains their thought process to see if they go wrong and if they understand the "why" I mentioned above. If not, I help the student understand any concepts (including any necessary prerequisites) as needed by asking them questions to guide their thinking. This Socratic approach is essential as it forces the student to have to think about the problem rather than a more passive engagement. It also means I receive feedback on their understanding and helps me tailor the questions to their learning pace. I couple this with relevant examples __ giving my thought process __ so they can see the concept applied in action and how to approach a problem.

Then, I let them do further problems in the same manner to ensure they have fully grasped the topic themselves and how it is used when answering questions. In all of this, I want to maintain an open dialogue and for the student to be comfortable asking any questions when they need clarification.

Availability: From my experience with this, I prefer teaching in-person as it is easier to follow a student`s work and vice versa, and communicate generally. It also helps with staying focused. Obviously, it is more difficult logistically so may involve more coordination depending on the location. Roughly speaking, I can easily travel to (inclusive): • Hackney, Islington, Tower Hamlets, • Haringey East of Crouch End and South of Tottenham • Camden South and East of Belsize • Westminster North of the Royal Parks and East of Paddington • Lambeth and Southwark North of Oval and West of Bermondsey • Walthamslow and Leyton. Other arrangements may be possible.

Willing to travel: 5 miles

Experience: I have a physics degree from University College London where I was in the top 5% of my cohort. I also have a PhD in molecular physics, also from UCL.

During my PhD, I conducted problem solving classes for mathematical methods and mechanics modules. These helped them complete and understand various assigned problems and were classes of around 15 students, and involved a mixture of one to one assistance and class demonstration.

I am also a tutor for Maths Circles run by We Solve Problems which consists of classes of around 25 with children aged 10-16 and involves them solving maths problems outside the curriculum. The focus is on one-to-one tutoring with the general methods teaching methods I outlined above but also some example demonstrations. The variety of ages and backgrounds develops my skills of adapting the teaching to the student on the fly.

DBS Check: Yes