Ashton

I am currently undergoing a part-time master's degree in Mental Health, having completed by undergraduate degree in Psychology in July. My primary interest lies in Psychology, but I am also able to deliver teaching in Biology and Drama at A Level and English Literature and Language at GCSE level.

Tutoring Experience

In my second year of university, I took on the role of being a peer mentor for first year Psychology students. This involved organising meetings with my mentees and planning activities to help them get to grips with concepts or assignments they were struggling with. I was also a peer mentor in year 12 for a GCSE student as well as teaching EAL (English as an Additional Language) students how to read on a weekly basis. I have an enhanced DBS check and several years' experience with children, having lead groups of children in summer holiday clubs and weekly church activities since the age of fourteen.

Tutoring Approach

My teaching approach is informed by instructional psychology and I like to interweave content with meta-cognitive strategies to help the pupil understand how we learn and, more importantly, what techniques of study work best for them. An advantage of my background in Psychology is that I have a thorough theoretical understanding of human memory and how it can be optimised, for example through distributed practice and interleaved learning. I like my lessons to be student-lead, with the pupil setting SMART goals for themselves with my guidance, breaking down larger aims into more manageable steps. Importantly, I believe that the best learning takes place in a supportive, safe environment, so I try to cultivate a friendly working relationship where there is no such thing as a silly question.