Holly

My teaching style

My usual method of teaching is having a discussion prior to the session, to highlight key topics or skills to focus on with the mentee, and preparing a powerpoint or similar resource beforehand. During the session, I will talk through the powerpoint, asking my mentee frequent questions to ensure they understand what I’m teaching. Towards the end of the session, I will provide them with exam questions to work through with me, so they can practice how to apply their new knowledge to an exam, and go through the mark scheme to see what is required and how to gain more marks.

For Oxbridge Applications, I can provide advice on various aspects of the admissions process, eg. choosing a college and the process by which decisions are made. When assisting with personal statements, I’ll help my mentee to explore their experience and interests relating to their subject, and help them to structure their writing in an efficient and effective way. During TSA tutoring, I’ll go through the different types of questions asked and provide a framework by which to approach each question, and use practice questions and essay prompts to develop my mentee’s speed and accuracy in completing papers. For interview preparation, I’ll structure sessions in a similar manner to the real interviews, but in a much more relaxed manner, having a chat about lots of different concepts and potential questions, while advising on how best to answer difficult questions or approach unknown stimuli.

However, I know these methods aren’t the most effective for everyone, and if a mentee finds that they could benefit more by learning a different way, I will do my best to alter the way I teach to accommodate this, whether this is with more visual or practical tasks, or something else entirely.