Students can lack motivation if they see a topic as just another arbitrary concept they have to cram for future tests. I try to explain topics, particularly in Maths, through real-world scenarios that students can relate to. Ratio becomes a lot more interesting for a child when we discuss it in terms of pocket money. I also like to ask students to teach a familiar concept back to me. This is a great way to see if a student has truly understood something we have covered and gives them ownership over the material.
With Reasoning, I like to help the students see the questions as different codes to be cracked, like they are a detective working on a case who must use logical methods and look for 'clues'. Reasoning questions are all different kinds of puzzles, similar to a crossword or a ‘codebreaker’ they might do in their spare time. Once a student understands a concept in Verbal or Non-Verbal Reasoning, I like to play the “Beat the Tutor!” game with them to see who can answer a set of questions first under timed conditions. This is a great way to cement concepts and practice working under time pressure.
With English teaching, I usually start by taking the student ‘back to basics’. We look at how to structure a sentence, then a paragraph, then the whole story or essay. Next, we think about accuracy, getting rid of unnecessary words and ideas. Once my student is confident with all this, we think about interesting vocabulary and language techniques as well as 'close reading', analysing the work of other authors. We focus initially on identifying what feeling the author is trying to create (usually sadness or joy or tension). Then we think about the techniques the author uses to evoke that feeling. In this way, all students are capable of complex and interesting exploration.
With creative writing, I try to show tutees that writing is like a fruit salad: you don't want too much of any particular feeling, word, sentence structure or language technique. Variety is key. Stories are like piece of music: like music, they should create another world that feels immersive and ever-changing.
