In our first session we'll go through some basics: (But feel free to send me this info in advance so we can skip to tutoring!)
What year are you in? Which school/college?
Which exam will you sit and when is it? (e.g. GCSE maths, or A-level maths) Which exam board is it? (e.g. Edexcel or AQA)
Have you sat a mock exam yet? If so, when was it? Do you know your predicted grade yet? What grade are you hoping for on the real exam?
How do you feel about the subject generally? Which topics do you feel strong in? Which do you need the most help with?
After that, sessions will run in one of two ways:
If you have anything specific you'd like to work on then we'll focus our time on that. For example, you might have a mock exam coming up, or some hard homework problems. It's helpful to know about this in advance, and ideally which topics you'd like help with, as this gives me time to prepare if I need to.
If you don't have anything specific like that, I'll always have prepared a lesson plan for you in case we need one, so we can follow that. It will cover topics you previously mentioned you needed help with, and it will be tailored to where you are. At the beginning, we'll set out a specific goal, such as "learn three of the ways you can factor a quadratic equation".
If our session follows a plan, I like to start with a quick warm-up activity, tailored to the student's needs. Then we move onto the main activity, and finally summarise and make a plan for the next session.
In the main activity, we'll start with exercises and explanations geared to where the individual student is at that moment in time, ensuring mastery of a topic before moving on - unlike in class, where you might get left behind. Aiming for mastery is a great approach, as it reveals any gaps in a student's understanding of any 'building block' topics. These gaps may require us to take a detour before they can be filled, but that is time well-spent, and I have countless materials for this.
This tailored approach means we don't spend time on problems that are too easy, too hard, or simply about a topic the student wasn't ready to tackle yet. I draw from a wide array of materials, including from my own library built up over years. At the end of each session we'll ask: did we achieve our goal? What did the student find helpful/unhelpful? And what should we do next time?
Every session should stretch a student's ability in just the right amount, and in just the right direction, so that they can build confidence by seeing themselves moving toward their longer-term goal.