Colintraive Tutors and Colintraive Tuition

Personal Description:
I am an independent tutor with a strong scientific background and have lived in England since Aug 1965. Most of my school and college education took place in Dudley (West Midlands) and I studied Biochemistry, at Leeds University (1975-8). I am married and have lived in Cheshire since Dec 1978. We have a son and a daughter; both graduated from Universities in Manchester. Following my voluntary redundancy from AstraZeneca, (Jun 2008), I am now a self-employed Tutor / Consultant. In addition, I am able to speak additional languages (Punjabi; studied up to GCE A-level and Hindi) and prepared to travel up to 5 miles. I have been tutoring Yr 7 - 13 students, in Maths and all Science subjects, since Oct 2008. In addition, I have prepared students from Yr 6, for the 11+ exams; frequently used by private schools, as entrance exams. Testimonials / References (from Students and Parents) are available, on request.

Teaching Experience:
During my long service in the Pharma industry (~30 years), I have run many short courses and workshops. During 2005/6, I mentored a pupil (Year 10/11) at St. Peter's High School, Longsight, organised by the University of Manchester. In the past, I have also been responsible for organising and running the weekly classes at the Sikh Temple (Gurdwara), for teaching youngsters the Sikh way of life & Punjabi culture, in helping to improve their knowledge and integration into the Western Society over a period of ten years.

Tutoring Approach:
I can provide tuition to individual students (or small groups) in the form of friendly, relaxed lessons. Teaching sessions are always customised to meet the specific requirement of the students. Generally, I enjoy teaching and considered to have a caring approach. I use a combination of computer and 'white board' based approach, for creating informal interactive / discussion type sessions, with some form of regular tests and re-cap sessions. Closer to the exams, the lessons are much more focused on using past papers covering a wide range of questions, to enable the students increase their confidence in preparation for the examinations.

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Personal Description:
I have a degree in Physics and Mathematics from University of Reading. I have a PGCE teaching qualification from UWIC.

Teaching Experience:
Previously taught for five years at Y Pant comprehensive, where I gained experience teaching Science (11-16), Physics (AS and A2) and Mathematics (GCSE).

I was formerly a GCSE Examiner. Now, I am exclusively an A level physics tutor, with over 10 years experience.

Tutoring Approach:
I adjust my tutoring approach to the individual's needs based on their age and ability.
My underlying philosophy is to develop understanding, not just recollection of facts.

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Personal Description:
Born in London, I was educated in the UK and Hong Kong. I currently reside in Oxfordshire with my husband, where we both enjoy the outdoors in the Cotswolds.

Teaching Experience:
I have many years' experience in primary and secondary schools and home education in the UK, Hong Kong and Germany.

I teach in a school in Burford, Oxfordshire, and also provide home tuition to primary and secondary pupils.

Tutoring Approach:
To encourage your child to gain confidence and enjoy learning, I draw on my personal warmth and humour in lessons. I aim to help your child gain good exam results through:

lively engagement with your child's creative intelligence
continuous assessment and feedback of your child's progress
learning using a wide variety of resources

I believe learning comes alive through building on the child's immediate experiences and their curiosity for the world around them.

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Personal Description:
I am a Mathematician and Computer Scientist with 30 plus years plus experience working across both research institutes and business firms. I have a bachelor degree in "Mathematics and Computing", a Master degree in "Mathematics - Numerical Analysis" and I a Doctorate degree in "Computer Science". I am friendly, enthusiastic and honest. I am also bilingual - English and French.

Teaching Experience:
I have tutored Mathematics and Computer Science to "GCSE" students and above. I have given 1-2-1 tutoring/coaching to individuals, and courses/seminars to small and large groups of university students and professionals.

Tutoring Approach:
I provide friendly, relaxed lessons either individually or in groups of up to twelve students, tailored exactly to the requirements of my students.

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Personal Description:
I am a passionate linguist and teacher of Modern Languages.

Teaching Experience:
I am a highly qualified and experienced teacher of Modern Languages, able to teach Spanish, German and French. I have vast experience of teaching all three languages (Spanish, German and French) from Primary through to GCSE, and German through to A level and beyond. I am confident in teaching students of all abilities and in recent years have taught students who have progressed to study languages at Oxford and Cambridge. I am an experienced examiner for AQA and I have examined the GCSE German writing component for the last 6 years. I am also able to offer language tuition for adults and businesses.

Tutoring Approach:
I have a strong understanding of the GCSE and A-level courses which enables me to coach the students in a way for them to achieve their full potential at all levels.

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Personal Description:
I am a native Arabic speaker from Lebanon with french as a second language.
I have a Degree in Law from the Lebanese University.

Teaching Experience:
I have 3 years of teaching experience, teaching students at high school in Lebanon, and over 10 years of online or from home tutoring. I taught Arabic and French to students at all levels.

Tutoring Approach:
Speaking, reading, grammar* and writing are part of the Arabic and French lessons. The lessons are tailored to the student's needs and wishes. Ensuring students are learning and understand the lessons with pleasure.
*Arabic Grammar including iierab (إعراب).

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Personal Description:
I am a qualified language teacher (French and Spanish) who became a professional tutor after the birth of my children.
I am passionate about making French and Spanish accessible and enjoyable to my students whilst giving them the skills which will help them achieve the highest grade at their examinations as well as the confidence to use the language effectively. A lot of my students achieve a higher grade at their examinations than the grade they were predicted.
I am a native French speaker and I tutor students of all ages, from students working towards their GCSE or A level examinations to undergraduates and adults wishing to learn French or Spanish from scratch or improve their existing competence in order to travel or have a more complete experience if they visit or live in France or Spain.

Teaching Experience:
Since obtaining my PGCE, I have taught languages in secondary schools for 13 years; French to A level and Spanish to GCSE.

I am an examiner for one of the country's leading examination boards and mark examination papers. In the summer I conduct speaking tests in schools for the A level examinations. This experience is invaluable when teaching GCSE or A level students.

I also tutor adults who have no previous knowledge of a language and want to learn French/Spanish for pleasure or to communicate more effectively on holiday. I also tutor adult students who are already very competent but who want to take their knowledge to a higher level.
I also tutor language undergraduates and students who need support or wish to improve their grades at the GCSE, A level and DELF examinations.
I started tutoring online two years ago and am teaching students anywhere in Great Britain but also abroad. I find on-line teaching a very effective way of teaching as I can share documents, play games, consolidate grammar using Powerpoints and videos, which enhances the way I teach.

Tutoring Approach:
I am friendly, very approachable, patient and have a good sense of humour and tailor my lessons to individual needs.
My aim is to build confidence in speaking and using languages by using a variety of materials and making learning enjoyable and rewarding whilst focussing on accuracy.
I make topic mats which help my students see what they need to know at one glance, or almost!
I systematically revise tenses with exam students and consolidate grammatical structures with Powerpoints and games, when appropriate
.

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Personal Description:
I am a 45 year old successful tutor offering classes in Spanish language and culture, French and English as a foreign language (EFL). I hold full membership of the Chartered Institute of Linguists for both Spanish and French which is a mark of recognition for my advanced language skills and I also work in Secondary schools in South East Wales on a supply basis.
I have a first degree in Modern Languages (French and Spanish) from the University of the West of England Bristol and a CELTA TEFL certificate to teach English as a Foreign Language. As a freelance tutor I am very focused on helping students fulfil their potential and I am constantly aquiring new innovative materials, espcially online resources which I feel will be of use to my tutees.

Teaching Experience:
As well as having a postgraduate degree in translation and interpreting from Alicante University, I have lived and worked in France for two years and Spain for twenty years, where had diverse roles both in business and in language schools. In Spain in particular I worked for many years in two private English Language Schools, the "Centro de Estudios Europeos" in Cartagena (Murcia) and "Studio 3" in Alicante. Currently I am tutoring mainly beginners level adults in Spanish, although throughout the year I have GCSE and A level students, who are always pleased to have extra support out of school.

Tutoring Approach:
Do you need individual conversation classes for GCSE? Would you like to know how to communicate effectively in Spanish or French for your next holiday? Do you have a language component of an undergraduate degree which you find challenging? I am the solution to your problem! Not only do I go though the class materials with you, I also pay special attention to homework correction and help with vocabulary memorizing techniques.
As a freelance tutor I am very focused on helping students fulfil their potential and I am constantly aquiring new innovative and interactive materials for my tutees, including apps and games which reinforce knowledge.
My approach to tutoring, in a nutshell, is to mix fun exercises with detailed understanding of the fundamentals of the subject you wish to progress in. Please get in touch and we can talk about your specific needs!

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Personal Description:
As an assistant professor in different countries overseas and as a lecturer/tutor in the UK universities (Oxford, Cambridge and UCL), I have had the opportunity to teach undergraduate and postgraduate students in a variety of subjects ranging from organic and medicinal chemistry to drug design. While the courses and students may have differed, the evaluation of my teaching has remained consistently excellent and I became a fellow in teaching with Higher Education Academy (HEA) in the UK.
I am a regular reviewer for several international journals in Chemistry and a proofreader/reviewer for PhD/Master dissertations/ research proposals.

Teaching Experience:
I have 17 years' teaching experience in several countries. Through this, I have learnt to interact with people from many different pedagogic, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Graduating from a school of pharmacy has helps me to understand and teach topics related to chemistry and the related biological sciences, and to link this knowledge to the courses in the life sciences. I have a broad set of teaching interests and have been willing to teach courses that extend beyond my core research focus on organic/medicinal chemistry and drug design. As part of a teaching role I have been interested in developing all aspects of new courses - including lecture content and tutorials, practical classes, and methods of assessment.
Below is a sample of the courses that I taught:
Arabic (all levels), Organic Chemistry, Medicinal Chemistry, Biosynthesis, Catalysis (organic), Drug design, Drug discovery, Bio-organic Chemistry (Undergrad-Postgrad levels).
I also teach chemistry A-level chemistry and GCSE level.

Tutoring Approach:
I have a PhD in chemistry with teaching experience in the UK (Oxford, Cambridge and UCL) to all levels in Chemistry and Arabic as I am a native Arabic speaker.
Help with Dissertations and Dissertation Proposals, Literature reviews, Methodology, Questionnaire design, Systematic literature reviews. Expert dissertation guidance, tuition, help and support from university dissertation markers. Undergraduate and post-graduate students.

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Personal Description:
I am a qualified teacher and experienced tutor of 16 years, previously curriculum leader of science and head of STEM, with a proven track record of securing high levels of attainment for all my students with great testimonials from previous students. I have been teaching Physics, Chemistry, Maths and Engineering since 2004 and also an examiner with AQA,OCR and Edexcel.

Teaching Experience:
I am a UK trained teacher and have been teaching physics, chemistry, maths and engineering up to A level, since 2004 in various schools in London.

Tutoring Approach:
As a qualified Scientist, my approach is to make the subjects enjoyable and convey complex concepts in a simple way. No one approach will work best for every student, and understanding how each student learns and changing my strategy to suit them is how I work.

My lessons are clear, easily digestible, based on the student's needs, developing prior knowledge, building confidence and problem solving skills whilst developing exam technique with access to practice questions.
If you find these subjects challenging or overwhelming, i'd like to hear from you because Science and Maths is only as hard as the teacher makes it.

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Personal Description:
I am a professional, friendly and enthusiastic tutor. My focus is providing engaging and informative lessons to individuals and small groups. In my spare time I'm a sports fanatic; I play hockey and hold a black belt in Jujitsu.

Teaching Experience:
I graduated the University of Cambridge this year with a BA in Economics. My final year modules included microeconomics, macroeconomics, econometrics, public economics and my dissertation, which statistically assessed the effectiveness of covid lockdown measures in the US and achieved a first class mark (placing me in the top third of my cohort). During my studies I tutored part time, teaching maths and economics.

Tutoring Approach:
My teaching approach is problem and discussion based. This involves collaboratively working through problems and questioning students throughout their lessons to confirm and deepen their understanding. In essence, students get the experience of a Cambridge style supervision.

For example, several questions I often ask students to improve their writing are:
1) Would you say it out loud?
2) Would your teacher say it out loud?
3) Would someone a couple of years younger than you/without specialised subject knowledge be able to understand your argument?

For maths, my teaching heavily emphasises learning concepts from first principles to avoid unnecessary memorisation and confusion. We then cover a broad range of past exam questions to test all aspects understanding.

Lessons are conducted on zoom, where we can share our screens to work through problems together as a team. We also use bitpaper, a premium online interactive whiteboard.

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Personal Description:
I am a qualified teacher with a PGCE in Science: Physics with Mathematics, Institute of Education, UCL, and a PhD in theoretical physics. I am passionate about physics and mathematics, I enjoy teaching, and I have a genuinely positive attitude towards one`s aspirations and wishes.

Teaching Experience:
I am a qualified physics and mathematics teacher (teaching KS3, KS4 and A-Level physics) with a PGCE in Physics with Mathematics and a PhD in theoretical physics.

I am familiar with the exam boards Edexcel IGCSE and Cambridge IGCSE and in both GCSE and A-Level: Pearson Edexcel, AQA and OCR (including Level 3 FSMQ Additional Maths).

All my tutees have achieved their target grades or grades above the initially predicted ones.

Feedback:

"Thank you so much for teaching me this year; you have been a tremendous help and I can't thank you enough for giving me the confidence and wisdom to excel in Maths + Physics."

"Just to let you know I got my GCSE results today and was delighted as I got an 8 in maths. This was really down to your excellent tutoring and support."

"We'd like to thank you for your help & support over the last year with ___ she has gained confidence & clarity & really enjoys the sessions."

"You are an amazing tutor and it really made me feel more confident."

"Just wanted to let you know that ___ got a Grade 7 in maths - she is over the moon!!"

"Thank you very much for your help and support over the last months. I have really found it useful and I have loved the lessons - I really have learnt a lot."

"Just wanted to thank you for helping me achieve the 7 in Maths that I got today.
I'm really pleased and very grateful for your help - I don't think I would have achieved a 7 without it."

"Just wanted to let you know I got a 5!! Thank you so much for all your help through the lead up to the exams."

"Enjoying a mix of GCSE physics and maths tutoring. Explains concepts well, plans appropriate lessons, follows up with notes and homework. And is encouraging me to develop problem solving skills
Highly recommend"

"Helping my daughter with GCSE maths. My daughter is already feeling more confident and has taken to on-line lessons well. Only been a few weeks but we would definitely recommend Smaragda."

"Afer 3 lessons we are very satisfied with Smaragda. My son likes her and the most important he understand her tutoring and he enjoys doing math."

"I`m very pleased with the progress of my daughter thanks to Smara. Smara is very patient and outstanding as a teacher.
Thank you Smara."

"Smara has been working with son who has autism which means he finds it very difficult to engage in tasks and can be very challenging. Smara works brilliantly with him however and has managed to engage him to the extent that he is doing really well and making good progress. I would highly recommend Smara."

"I really enjoyed Smaragda`s AS physics tutorials and she was very clear with her explanations. I would definitely recommend her to my friends as she was friendly and I wasn`t afraid to ask her questions. She made herself available via email almost 24/7 for assistance if and when I required it. She accommodated my learning style very well with her broad subject knowledge and I really enjoyed every Monday! Smaragda also set relevant homework questions which reinforced my learning from tutorials. I have just done my exams and I feel confident I have done the best I can with her support. Thank you, Smara!! :) "

"Excellent tutor, very organised and clear."

"Very friendly, enthusiastic and reliable."

"Smaragda assessed my daughter on GCSE maths and Physics. She was very welcoming, engaging and kind and helps my daughter to understand the work."

"Excellent teacher, my daughter is at ease with Smaragda. Early days but she likes her methods of teaching and is very professional which my daughter appreciates. Smara works from a whiteboard which gives her enough time to take notes. All in all very happy with how tutoring is going."

"Smaragda is an excellent tutor, I can highly recommend her."

Tutoring Approach:
I put an emphasis on a deep understanding of each concept, theory, method, and observation, dissolving misconceptions, as well as acquiring and mastering technical skills. I am thorough in teaching, and besides explaining everything clearly I also provide and walk with the student through the necessary material - usually in the form of slides, interactive questions and quizzes, simulations, notes, problems, exam practice papers and past papers - for a solid understanding through assimilation of the ideas as well as practice. Problem-solving methods are discussed and explained, not only as to how a problem is solved, but also why it's solved that way: this helps the student understand the maths and science behind the problem better, as well as develop their critical and analytical abilities that will help them tackle any other problem in maths and science as well as in life in general.

I encourage questioning, not hesitating to raise unclear points, individuality in thinking and working, having an inquisitive and creative mind, and being good friends and generosity with working time. My particular planning and delivery of the tutorials depend on the individual student's current motivation, needs, and knowledge, as well as the particular content of the topic that is taught. I also often discuss with the student ways to learn as well as study. True learning and understanding has a multifaceted nature.

For online lessons (single or group), I use an interactive platform where I as well as the student can write on the lesson slides, so we can answer questions, write derivations and make clarifications in writing. The platform also allows for online interactive simulations that bring theory to life. This platform is also used for in-person sessions for faster responses and a more stimulating and interactive lesson. For group tutorials at home, I utilise a physical whiteboard in my living room on which both I and the students can write, in addition to slides presented on a screen. In all cases, the whole lesson is available for revision as a pdf file after each session.

I believe that everyone has the potential to reach their aims, and I always do my utmost so that this will happen for each one of my students.

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