Steven

I am a Philosophy Specialist Teacher with the Philosophy Foundation and a recent (2012) graduate of Edinburgh University with an MA Philosophy and Theology degree with First Class Honours. In my final year I was awarded a prize for achieving the highest overall marks in my department. At my high school I received all As and A-stars in every competitive exam.

I believe there are three principal areas where my tutoring can add particular value on top of a child`s schooling. First, as a philosophy specialist teacher in schools I am uniquely placed to help your child with their higher-order thinking and evaluation skills for RS and Philosophy. I use a variety of methods in my teaching and tutoring to encourage students to think more deeply, critically and creatively about problems. There often isn`t enough time to examine an individual`s ideas in depth in the classroom but I can help with argument structure (I have a background in logic), how to spot ambiguity and complexity in questions, and how to translate these ideas onto the written page in a clear and compelling way.

Second, I can help your child with study strategies including how to revise, take notes which will stick, set goals and manage their time. There are a number of good resources available in the literature but schools often can’t capitalise on these due to a lack of time during school hours. There are currently some companies which are trying to address this gap at a secondary school level (e.g. Elevate UK) but it is still a persistent problem which is best addressed at a one-to-one level.

The third area where I can add value is tailoring the material to each individual in a way that accommodates their learning styles and preferences. Particularly in maths, some students prefer abstract explanations and some prefer concrete examples, some like maths to be presented in a way that doesn`t seem like maths at all but more like storytelling. I have experience with explaining mathematical concepts in a variety of different ways to suit each individual student.

Availability: I am available for tuition in the week and on Saturdays.

Willing to travel: 8 miles

Experience: As a TrinityTESOL qualified teacher of English as a foreign language, I have previously acquired teaching experience working at a private language school in London. During my time there I found that I prefer the one-to-one teaching format because I can identify learning difficulties sooner, monitor progress more easily, and focus on specific areas where attention is required. I acquired over 200 hours of tutoring experience during my time working as an English teacher.

Given both my experience and my enthusiasm for this style of teaching, I decided that I was well-suited to tutor privately in my specialist subjects from university Philosophy, Theology, and Religious Studies (and the related subjects `Critical Thinking` and `Thinking Skills`) in 2012. I have a very strong academic record in these subjects. In addition to graduating with a First Class MA Philosophy and Theology degree from Edinburgh University, I also won a prize for top graduate (best overall mark in the last two years) in my department.

Since then I have done a variety of tutoring work. In the academic year 2012-2013 I tutored to completion a girl for her Oxford University interview and A-level Thinking Skills Assessment, two boys for Religious Studies AS level and two for Religious Studies 13+ and entry to Eton.

In the year 2013-2014 I privately tutored students for 11+, 13+, GCSE, and A-level exams in English, Maths, Religious Studies and Philosophy. I also tutored small groups of Maths students at Bishop Challoner Collegiate school in Tower Hamlets after school 3 days a week for their Edexcel GCSE papers.

In the year 2014-2015 I tutored students for Maths GCSE, English 13+, Religious Studies GCSE and Philosophy A-level. I was also responsible for delivering a whole curriculum to a home-schooled boy for his Religious Studies GCSE. This entailed ensuring that he has got the adequate subject knowledge, setting homework, marking papers, and setting mock exams. In a year I took him from a B grade in his mock to an A* and a 128/130 score overall.

As a Level 3 Philosophy Specialist teacher with the Philosophy Foundation I have also been responsible since January 2014 for planning and facilitating philosophy enquiries with children in years 1 to 8. At present I work as the resident philosopher in three state primary schools and two secondary schools in South East and East London. I have facilitated enquiries with around a thousand different students of all different year groups in the past year. I often incorporate elements of my teaching into my tutoring work. In particular, questioning skills and tools to encourage reasoning.

I enclose some feedback I have had to date from parents:

Wendy D- `Thanks so much for your hard work and caring attitude`

Kate M- `Just thought that you may like to know that after a rather gruelling interview process Beth has been offered a place at University College, Oxford. She felt that you were an enormous help in preparing her for both the exam and the whole process. You gave her great confidence. Thank you so much` 

Amie C- `thanks for all your wonderful help with Nikolai. We notice a big difference in his `work ethic` and attitude

Stephanie R- Steven provided tutoring in Maths to my 14 year old daughter for one year. Apart from being reliable and punctual, Steven has a lovely patient teaching style and was able to build my daughters confidence in the subject. He was able to go over the topics that she was studying at school and explain them clearly so that she gained a much better understanding of them. I would definitely recommend Steven.

Simon J- `I think you made a big difference to Aaron over these two months so thank you again`