About
Here you can learn about my story, my values as a maths coach, and what working with me will look like. To hear what others have to say about my coaching, see testimonials.
,The Coaching Process
How does maths coaching differ from maths tutoring?
Maths coaching draws on powerful techniques and concepts from personal coaching and combines them with maths tutoring, creating a new and highly effective approach to help young people with their studies. In particular, the coaching techniques I employ help students with the following:
- Motivation – I focus on the bigger picture with my students, looking not just at the ‘how’ of the work we do, but focusing also on the ‘why’. Once the ‘why’ is established, the student’s motivation skyrockets and they develop a mindset that is working for them, rather than against them
- Goal-setting – While a student’s school will assign them target grades, their predictions often fall short of what the student feels they can achieve, which can have the effect of limiting the students aspirations and hampering their spirit. I encourage and guide students to set their own goals; ones that are ambitious, achievable and measurable, and I help them break these up into sub-goals that are easier to monitor. This exercise empowers them to take ownership of their studies and fast-track their progress.
- Limiting Beliefs – Far too often, I hear students say things like “I’m awful at maths”, or, “my brain isn’t wired for maths”, or worst of all, “I can’t do maths”. While it’s true that innate mathematical capability does the affect the speed at which we learn maths, most of us drastically overestimate its bearing on our success, and in turn, underestimate the contribution of structure, focused practice, and consistency. With my coaching expertise, I help students to dispel these limiting beliefs, replacing them with healthier, more empowering ones.
- Maths Anxiety – For many students, being presented with a simple maths question can be enough to induce panic, stress, or anxiety. These negative feelings will cause them to freeze up, and consequently, severely inhibit their ability to consider the question at hand. When they find they can’t answer the question, they will often attribute this to their ‘lack of ability’, as opposed to their anxiety — the real problem. To help students deal with their anxiety, I slow the pace of the session down to the point where they can think clearly about the problem at hand, and encourage them to notice any negative feelings that arise before they become an issue.
What format do your lessons take?
I deliver my sessions exclusively online, using a virtual whiteboard designed specifically for coaching purposes. This is because I feel the quality of any session can be drastically improved with the use of technology. In particular, when tutoring online, you have a vast amount of resources at your fingertips, making the sessions more versatile and adaptable to the student’s needs. What’s more, is that organisation — something many students struggle with — becomes one hundred times easier. Instead of relying on endless paper copies and worksheets, which can easily be lost or damaged, students have notes emailed to them immediately after each session to be used as they wish
What are your prices?
My hourly rate for the academic year 2022/2023 is £45/hr. If you are looking for more than 1 hour a week, however, please get in touch to discuss a possible discount.
My Values
While my methodology may differ slightly from student to student, some core values that I bring to every session are the following:
Accountability
Accountability plays an essential role in any effective coaching relationship. In mine, this dynamic works both ways. I hold my students accountable to try their best in sessions and to complete any agreed upon assignments. In return, I am accountable to my students to be honest with them, reliable, and to coach them to the best of my abilities.
Challenge
No matter what the student’s current ability level, it is essential to their development that they experience a certain level of challenge in their work. Not too much, but not too little. I tailor my sessions with this sweet spot in mind, ensuring that my students progress confidently and efficiently.
Honesty
Honesty, as we all know, is a staple of any effective and healthy relationship. It is, however, particularly crucial in my work as parents and students alike rely on me to give honest feedback on progress, as well as to help students to set ambitious, yet realistic goals for themselves.
Reliability
Just as with accountability, reliability also works two ways. If I’m to expect my students to be reliable in giving their best to our sessions and completing any work I set them, I must, in return, be equally reliable, showing up to lessons well-prepared and focused on the optimal development of the student.
Forward-thinking
To further motivate the student, it is important that we are forward-thinking and have a SMART goal for them in our sights. This is a Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-bound goal, providing the student with a clearer sense of what they’re working towards, as well as a carefully considered plan to guide them. I help my students to create these goals, drawing on my experience as an ICF-qualified coach to do so effectively.