End of term

Just a few lessons next week , as most of my students are having a Christmas break.

Congratulations to Emily, who got a higher mark in her mock exams than anybody else in her set, and a higher mark than anybody in the the set above her!

A-Level Maths

It seems that the big demand for maths tutors in the Wirral this year is for A-Level maths.

Usually the demand is for Foundation level maths, and then A-Level maths, and then GCSE Higher. 

But this year, most people want A-Level Maths. I wonder why.

Progress at Oldershaw School

The students have started the third week of lessons at Oldershaw School with me and we are making good progress. In fact, the students today completed the work much quicker than I expected them to.

I shall clearly have to give them more challenging tasks.

C2 videos ready

The Maths AS C2 video course has been completed. I have created over 110 short videos covering all of the C2 syllabus.

There are over 8 hours of instruction, exercises, and 4 exam papers with a video for every question.

The Oldershaw School

I have just started working as a maths tutor for The Oldershaw School in Wallasey. I have 10 students in 5 pairs of two,working just after school ends.

If any of my students read this, then Hello, and so far I am enjoying the lessons and am very pleased with the effort you are all making in lessons.

These students at the Oldershaw School are being entered for Foundation in Year 10, and are hoping to get a C a year early. This will be hard work for them, and is a challenging target.

But challenges are there to be faced. I will post progress on this blog, being careful not to identify the students I teach.

Success for a student

One of my students passed her Level 2 Numeracy test today. She had failed it 6 times before she had some lessons with me.

Congratulations to Emma!

C1 Video course finished

I have finished creating the 149 short videos to cover C1 Maths at AS Level.

There is over 11 hours of tuition.They include bridging material from GCSE, 11 exercises and 3 completely worked out entire C1 maths papers.

Also included is a free one to one hour lesson for purchasers in the Wirral. 

This collection of videos cost 30 pounds. That is less than 3 pounds per hour, and 30 pounds is what some people pay for 1 hour of tuition.

My regular students can purchase this material for 11 pounds, which is slightly less than one pound per hour.

They would make excellent revision material for last minute revision. Not as good as having a personal tutor on 24 hour call, but the next best thing.

These videos run on Windows Vista.

I am preparing C2 video material. Again , this will include 3 totally worked out complete exam papers.

Reaction to videos

Some of my students have seen some of my tutorial videos and initial reaction is very good.

Because of the amount of effort going into them, I will have to raise the price to 2 pounds per hour.

But my students will be able to get them for 1 pound per hour.

Studying these videos should save a lot of lessons.

Maths Tuition 1.50 per hour

I am creating many hours of video tutorials which will cost 1.50 per hour to buy.

They will run on Windows Vista.

I will create different packages to cover different modules. Each package will have a different number of hours in it, but they will all be priced at 1.50 per hour.

They will be comprehensive, detailed and informative. 

Contact me for details.

 

Maths Tuition Wirral

Looking for a maths tutor in Birkenhead, Moreton, Greasby, Hoylake,  Meols, Upton, Prenton, Wallasey or the Wirral?

Looking to enhance your career prospects? Trying to retrain for a new job? A good grade in Maths is very important for many employers, and vital for many jobs.

I have about 7 years experience of giving private tuition in maths to GCSE Foundation and Higher Level, AS-Level and A-Level. I have also privately taught some University maths, but only 1st year University maths.

I have a 1st class degree in Natural Sciences from Cambridge University.

I am a very patient teacher, and realise that different students require different approaches.

My rate is 13 pounds per hour. I offer a free , no obligation one hour trial session, where the student can decide whether he or she thinks my style of teaching is useful for them.

I can be contacted by emailing Steven Carr at tutor@bowness.demon.co.uk or 0772 6 288 756

AMFIT

AMFIT means Access Mathematics For Intending Teachers.

It is a very hard exam. Only 6 out of 25 passed the AMFIT exam in April in Liverpool, for example.

But one of my students passed the exam last Friday. Congratulations to her!

She is now able to take up her place on the teacher training course, rather than have to wait until next September.

Sadly, my other AMFIT student narrowly failed to pass. I am not sure how, as she did the mock exams very well, and after the AMFIT exam, both she and I were confident she had passed.

Free A-Level Crib Sheets

Here are some crib sheets with useful A-Level Maths formulas on them.

Another result

One more of my GCSE results came in today. My student got an A in her GCSE, despite taking the exam at the end of year 10.

Congratulations to her.

Lockhart's Lament

Here is an interesting article about the state of mathematics teaching today. It is about maths teaching in America but almost all of it applies here in Britain as well.

Many students wonder why they have to learn seemingly pointless rules and words when learning mathematics.

The students are right. If they find mathematics difficult, stodgy and hard to remember, the fault is with the system. The fault is not with the students.

I have to teach what is needed to pass the exams. I try my very best to make it interesting for the students, but sometimes it is difficult.

GCSE results

Not all results have yet been reported to me.

I had two disappointments. A girl came to me for lessons about 6 weeks before the exams, and she only got an E. I had hoped to move her up one grade to a D. 

A boy with special educational needs only got a D. I was hoping for a C.

However, one girl who was predicted an E grade, got a C. She came to me 3 months before the exams and worked hard. I am really pleased with her C.  It makes all the work by the two of us really worthwhile when it pays off like this. 

Another girl managed to get her C, although she was doing the exams a year early. That was also pleasing.

The lesson from these results is not to wait too long for tuition.

Private tuition can move children up two whole grades, if there is enough time.

But if tuition is left too late, then nobody can work miracles.

AS results day

The waiting and nerves are over, and my students got their AS and A-level results.

I had 4 students doing these exams.

One got her A in her A-level Mathematics. She was pleased.

Another got a C in her A-level Mathematics. She was also pleased.

One of my male students got a C in his AS modules. He was pleased. At one stage he was going to drop the entire subject.

My other student got a D in his AS module. Sadly, he also got a U in Business Studies. I wouldn't even know where to begin to teach that. The D was slightly disappointing. I was hoping for a C.

Next week is GCSE results week. One of my students is being entered by her school in the Higher Tier a year early, and the school is hoping she will get a C.

I disapprove of this practice of entering students for exams where the school has not yet taught the content of the exam, and the school hopes the student scrapes a C. It is demoralising to do an exam where a lot of the questions are on subjects you have never seen.

Latest exam result

One of my students is studying engineering at university.

He got 74% in his maths module , and passed it.

Congratulations to him for all the effort he put in!

Ed Balls and giving weaker pupils private tutors

The Government is hoping to recruit 100,000 former, current and retired teachers to become private tutors and give 121 tuition to failing and weaker pupils.

I wonder where they are going to get 100,000 teachers experienced in 121 tuition which is a different skill from the challenging job of trying to teach a classroom of 20 children.

That is a lot of people!

STEP maths entrance exam

Do you need help preparing for the STEP entrance exam?

Feel free to ask for tutoring.

Ich lehre auch Deutsch

Wenn Sie Deutsch lernen moechten, bitte setzen Sie sich in Verbindung mit mir.

If you want to learn German, please contact me.

First exam result

One of my students reported her exam result today.

In her previous maths exam before me, she got in the 30s as a percentage. She has now got 87% and has passed the course with flying colours, and can proceed to the next year's course.

I am really pleased for her. Congratulations to her for all the hard work she put in!

Exam time

Good luck to all of my students doing exams.

Help with maths questions?

I am a private maths tutor , giving maths tuition in Birkenhead, Moreton, Heswall, Wallasey and the Wirral in general.

If you want a general question on maths answered, please feel free to add a comment to this blog post and I will answer it.

Maths Tuition Wirral

Looking for a maths tutor in Birkenhead, Moreton, Greasby, Wallasey or the Wirral?

Looking to enhance your career prospects? Trying to retrain for a new job? A good grade in Maths is very important for many employers, and vital for many jobs.

I have about 6 years experience of giving private tuition in maths to GCSE Foundation and Higher Level, AS-Level and A-Level. I have also privately taught some University maths, but only 1st year University maths.

I have a 1st class degree in Natural Sciences from Cambridge University.

I am a very patient teacher, and realise that different students require different approaches.

My rate is 13 pounds per hour. I offer a free , no obligation one hour trial session, where the student can decide whether he or she thinks my style of teaching is useful for them.

I can be contacted by emailing Steven Carr at tutor@bowness.demon.co.uk or 0772 6 288 756