Greg M - Tutors - Keystone Tutors

• A-Level Maths: Edexcel, OCR, CIE and AQA
• IB and Pre-U Maths
• University Entrance Exams (TMUA, STEP, MAT, CSAT)
• Oxbridge Preparation (Mock Interviews etc.)
• GCSE/IGCSE Maths: AQA, CIE, Edexcel and OCR
• GCSE Additional Maths (OCR FSMQ, CIE IGCSE Additional, Edexcel IGCSE Further Pure, AQA Level 2 Certificate in Further Maths)
• Programming Skills in Python and C#

I began tutoring informally while I was taking my GCSEs in 2009. I attended an all-ability school in Northern Ireland and typically found subjects much easier than my peers, so I began to teach those around me. This is where I initially developed a passion for teaching, and it inspired my school to introduce a program where older students could tutor younger students in a more structured fashion. Alongside this and outside of school, I offered private tutoring sessions to GCSE, and later A-Level students.
I continued to tutor on moving to university. Throughout my four years at Imperial I tutored a range of ages both Maths and Science. At Timeline Tutorials and Study Centre I worked with students in Years 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13 helping them with preparation for their GCSEs and A-Levels in both Maths and Physics.
In my third year at Imperial, I was offered the opportunity to complete a teacher training course at the university which enabled me to teach a GCSE Further Maths class at Pimlico Academy. I have also tutored at university level at Imperial College, assisting first year Maths undergraduate students by delivering group tutorials and one-on-one intensive catch-up sessions.
Since joining Keystone in 2016, I have specialised in tutoring year 12 and 13 Maths (A-level, IB, Pre-U and entrance exams) while also tutoring Maths at lower levels and Science at 13+ and GCSE. The main entrance exams that I prepare students for are the TMUA, STEP, and (previously) MAT (which is now being discontinued). These are admissions tests used to select applicants applying to Maths-related courses at top universities like Cambridge, Oxford and Imperial College, among others. In addition, I have helped facilitate courses for the TMUA and MAT run by Oxford and Imperial College on 7 occasions, after graduating from Imperial College myself.
I am in the process of writing a Maths textbook aimed at A-level students, which focuses on allowing students to thoughtfully discover concepts for themselves via guided exercises, rather than simply being told what to do and having them repeat the process. The goal is to not only have the students be able to achieve an A* in Maths and Further Maths, but also to develop the thinking skills, depth of knowledge and resilience that will prepare them for entrance exams like the TMUA and STEP, as well as setting them up to thrive at university.
In a given week, I currently spend around 20 hours tutoring online, so I have a lot of experience with this medium and stand by its effectiveness; it is certainly no compromise when compared to face-to-face tutoring.
I am a very passionate tutor and hugely enjoy helping students to engage with, better understand and ultimately, feel more confident in both Maths and Science.

After going to school in Northern Ireland, where I studied Maths (A*), Further Maths (A*), Physics (A) and Biology (A) at A-level, I went to Imperial College London to study Mathematics in a 4-year Master's degree, achieving first class honours.

While at school and university, I tutored part-time and so have built up a vast amount of experience since 2009. I joined Keystone in 2016 as a professional tutor, which allows me to solely devote my attention to tutoring.

It is my fundamental belief that making lessons interesting for my students is crucial in effective teaching. This is especially so for mathematics, where a huge amount of learning takes place while students are doing unassisted exercises. Through my encouraging and animated approach to tutorials, I aim to instil a passion in my students, so that they will respond to such exercises with enthusiasm and confidence.

I feel that the needs of every student are unique and that one-on-one tutoring offers the ideal environment to adapt to these needs. Personally, I love the process of forming questions that are tailored to specific students in order to give them a deeper insight into a topic. In my view, this is an art, especially with students who are already on A or A* grades, as it can be quite challenging for a tutor to come up with questions that are pitched correctly: Pitch the level too low and the student is bored and doesn't learn anything new. Pitch too high, and the student won't be able to fully engage with the material, meaning the tutor will have to do most of the work for the student, and so it is of little value to them. But pitch the question just right and the student learns something new and, crucially, learns by going through their own thought process, meaning that they are much more likely to be able to recall the key ideas later.

Ideally, I want my students to feel that every new topic or idea that they come across is something that they could have invented themselves, given enough time and the right initial line of thought. Therefore, when time allows, I tend to teach the reason behind each formula and result that we use in Maths, rather than just teaching how to apply this to a question. I even encourage my more able students to derive these results themselves, with some assistance, where necessary. In recent years, Maths exams at GCSE and A-level have tended to increase in difficulty and I feel, now more than ever, the extra understanding gained by learning in this manner is paramount in setting students up for the more difficult questions on their paper; when an unfamiliar or particularly difficult question appears in a paper, students with a deep understanding will be more able to adapt than students who have just been 'taught to the exam.'

Outside tutoring, Maths, and writing my textbook, I enjoy indoor rock climbing, cooking, playing piano, visiting new places, going on walks and reading.