Ben V
My Passion & How I Inspire
I like to keep my lessons as fun and informal as possible. One of the reasons a home tutor can have such a great impact is simply the fact that they are not a recognised authority figure like a parent or teacher and can relate to the pupil on a different level. Thanks to my background in stand-up comedy I like to think I can bring any subject, no matter how dry, to life in a way that will engage a pupil for a two hour session.
I like to lead my pupils to discover interpretations of texts or concepts themselves, leading them to these via a series of concentric questions (ie starting broadly and getting more specific.) Whilst I am very enthusiastic about teaching pupils to enjoy and engage fully with their subjects ā as this is always the best way to secure top marks ā I always do this with āscoring pointsā in exams in mind. Whenever I provide pupils with a new piece of information or interpretation I encourage them to consider how best to use this as a killer fact or attention grabbing introduction.
The nature of the lesson depends very much on the clientās needs. If I am asked to assist a pupil earlier in the academic year, and so have less time pressure, then Iām happy to let the pupil dictate the content of the lesson based on what they are studying in school and where their difficulties lie. Alternatively, when I have been called in nearer to exams for revision sessions, I tend to favour leading the sessions myself via a series of mindmaps for each topic and then drilling the student regularly and rigorously to make sure they have the knowledge at the end of their fingertips. For students who need help with essay and exam technique I prefer to take a more forensic approach, dismantling their essays sentence by sentence and paragraph by paragraph to ensure that they are giving focussed, precise and eloquent answers to the questions asked of them.
At all times I ensure that I tailor lessons to the individual pupilās needs and the approach which best suits their learning needs.
