Danai - Waterloo tutor





Danai's profile picture

Information About Danai:


Personal Description:

I am currently a master's student at the London School of Economics and Political Science, studying a Master of Science in History of International Relations. I completed my undergraduate degree in History at University College London receiving a high 2:1.
I went to school in Athens, at the St. Catherine's British Embassy School, receiving 44 out of 45 marks in my International Baccalaureate exams with 7/7 in all the subjects I now tutor.
I have always enjoyed working with young people, volunteering with children through various organisations such as Habitat for Humanity and Camden Libraries since the age of 16. I began tutoring and mentoring while at school and have continued to tutor or mentor in some form every year, working with young people from the ages of 3 to 19. I find the process of helping young people excel academically, very rewarding and genuinely enjoy working with young people.
I am a very friendly, sociable and approachable person with a creative flair, developed through a love for writing and performing. I put my students' academic needs first and strive to help them as best I can to achieve their desired marks.



Teaching Experience:

Summer Private Tutor- 3 tutees
Taught IB-Level and A-Level History, English, Biology, Geography, Theatre Arts - knowledge of different examination boards, including Edexcel, OCR and AQA.
Covered problem areas, explained and gave tips for homework, implemented homework and revision techniques, helped with essay structuring and research.
Went over past paper questions, the best ways to answer the questions and useful techniques and tips to follow. Set timed tasks and past papers to be completed in the class, which were marked for the next lesson.
Gave Extended Essay support: proof reading and improvement advice. Drew on my own my own extensive research skills.
Ensured tasks were varied for each lesson in order to engage the students and keep lessons interesting, upbeat and refreshing. Created a friendly, stress-free environment, focusing on trust and having some fun while learning.
Maintained open communication with the parents so that they were kept up to date with their children's progress.
All tutees boosted their marks in the subject areas taught. One student improved her mark in IB Higher Level History and English A1 from a predicted level 5 to a level 7. Another of the tutees boosted his mark in IB Standard Level Biology from a predicted level 4 to a level 6 and in Standard Level Geography from a predicted level 5 to 6. My other tutee received all A*s in his History, English and Biology A-levels.
Received great feedback from my coordinator about parents being pleased with their children's renewed interest in the subjects they were being tutored.

Tutoring with Team Up (previously the Young Educational Learning Programme - YELP) Nov-Spring 2011 - 5 tutees
Taught GCSE-level History and English Language and Literature.
Provided a straightforward, interesting study technique, particularly for English literature and poem/prose analysis, which seemed to be the most challenging area.
The aim of the programme was to help students from disadvantaged backgrounds, achieving mostly Cs or Ds but also Bs, to reach their full academic potential. I provided plenty of mentoring and focused on fostering a positive attitude towards learning and further education.
Helped students boost their final marks. One student jumped from a B to an A* in English Language and Literature, two from C to an A in History, and one from a D to a C in English.
Received very positive feedback from organisers of the programme, both for the improved results attained, but also for the friendly and fun environment created while teaching.

Tutoring IGCSE - 2008/2009 - 4 tutees
As part of the International Baccalaureate Creativity, Action, Service (CAS) programme, I tutored IGCSE English Language and Literature, History, Drama, Geography and Biology while in my last two years of school.
I mostly covered problem areas, focusing on past paper practice tasks during the hour-long lessons.
The results were positive, with all students achieving Bs and above in the tutored subjects.



Tutoring Approach:

I believe that what makes me a good tutor is the understanding that teaching is not just about laying down the facts. It is a process of developing a relationship of trust and engaging the student so that he or she genuinely enjoys learning about the subject. I find that once a student enjoys learning, it is much easier to encourage him or her to absorb the material, performing better in exams. I always try to establish this enthusiasm by varying my techniques, understanding my student's academic needs and keeping the atmosphere friendly yet focused. Every student is capable of boosting his or her marks with the right guidance and with practice. The right guidance involves looking at each student as an individual with specific academic requirements and needs and so I never use a sweeping approach to teaching, rather assessing each student's needs on a case by case basis.



Map showing Danai's location

Qualifications:

  • MSc History of International Relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science
  • BA History at University College London (2:1)
  • International Baccalaureate (44/45 - 7/7 in Higher Level History, English A1, Biology)
  • Cambridge ESOL Teaching Knowledge Test and TEFL Express

Further Information:

Availability:  Weekends / Weekdays (all times)
Types of Tutoring:   Travels to you / From their home / Online
References Supplied?   Yes
Additional Languages Spoken:   Greek