maths tutoring

I have been a teacher for some ten years, mostly up to GCSE with a little A-level thrown in.

I can offer tutoring of any topic, but I have specialised a way of teaching algebra in one lesson, and I also conduct a pretty good diagnosis of the student's state of learning and can proscribe immediate solutions.

The principles of algebra can be learned in one lesson. There is a big disorder in teaching maths because most of it is linearly presented: one topic after another in a seemingly endless sequence. Those who pick it up are those who begin to relate different processes and somehow correctly determine the different levels of importance of abstract processes. (This goes for all learning, seems to me...) So, if we are clear about the simplest system of algebra, and the principles put into practice simultaneously, we can learn very quickly. It's like learning a trick, like juggling, or learning to ride a bike. Once you get it, it becomes easy.

From my experience of tutoring, I learned how learning happened. I am pretty good at determining what the learning difficulty might be, and simultaneously producing a solution. That is, instead of just piling in more information into the student's head, as it were, it's about sorting things out, ascertaining what point is best to improve which will result in the greatest learning experience. This is often expressed as an attitude change. That is, kids start to enjoy maths.