Octavia

Experience

I have six years of professional teaching and tutoring experience. I was a Biology teacher at the world-renowned Harrow School, in Greater London from 2021-22, where I taught GCSE and A-Level Biology.

Subjects, levels, and exam boards offered:

- Biology GCSE/IGCSE & A-Level (OCR, AQA, Edexcel, CIE)

- Marine Science A-Level (Cambridge International)

- Chemistry GCSE/IGCSE (OCR, AQA, Edexcel)

- Human Biology IGCSE (Edexcel)

- Combined Science (AQA, Edexcel)

- Double Science IGCSE (Edexcel)

- 13+ Science

Alongside the Biology curriculum at Harrow, I taught my own elective course, as part of the Harrow School Diploma, on Polar Biology and Climate Change, (entitled 'Life on the Ice') which many boys chose to participate in, and thoroughly enjoyed throughout the academic year. I also enrolled in the Harrow New Master's Training Programme, where I learned the fundamentals of teaching and the intricacies of education at Harrow and beyond. I worked as a part-time online science tutor alongside my undergraduate and postgraduate degrees at the University of Bristol, and also set up my own tutoring website- Bristol Tutoring. I also worked as a teaching assistant at Bristol where I taught theoretical science concepts and technical lab skills to undergraduate students. I attended an intensive workshop in small group teaching and blended learning which enhanced my understanding of teaching methods including ways to build confidence and increase motivation in students to facilitate learning.

The study of Biology and animals has been a life-long passion for me, and I bring my enthusiasm for the subject to every tutorial. I achieved consistently high grades in sciences at both GCSE and A-Levels however, this was not without difficulty. I spent many months being tutored rigorously in exam technique, subject content, and revision strategies. This has provided me with excellent knowledge of how to really do well in exams. I often find that many students are frustrated at the tight marking schemes and 'keywords' needed to get high marks in Biology. This is one of many areas that I focus on in my tutorials.

Biography

I am a highly driven and enthusiastic Biologist with an Undergraduate degree in Zoology and a Master's by Research degree in Biological Sciences from the University of Bristol. I am carrying out a Ph.D. in Antarctic Biology and Climate Change at the University of Birmingham, with the goal of having a career as a researcher and lecturer. I have six years of tutoring experience and I taught Biology teacher at the highly esteemed and world-renowned Harrow School in London last year. Alongside my PhD, I work as an examiner for Cambridge International and OCR, and I teach revision courses across the country during the school holidays (for all exam boards). I am incredibly passionate about teaching and I utilise my five core values when tutoring students: integrity, hard work, knowledge, individuality, and fairness. I aim to build an excellent working relationship with my students and their parents, with mutual respect and understanding, where their individual learning styles, needs, and interests are listened to and utilised to build the foundations of my lessons. I am not only committed to my student's academic success, but also to their well-being and personal growth, and I believe that a teacher should not solely focus on examination achievements but should also play an important role in building subject confidence and broader interest in the subject.

Personal Approach

Before we begin sessions, I will ask the student whether they are someone who likes a lot of notes, or whether they prefer more visual information. I have taught many students with different learning preferences (as well as SEND), and I am very versatile in my teaching methods. I will also establish what the student needs help in. This may include specific topics they aren't feeling confident about, how to effectively revise, exam technique, or as I often find, a combination of everything. I teach at a very steady pace, ensuring that the student is always understanding everything I am saying and writing. I say things as I write, underlining keywords and phrases, which are all available in note form for revision. I like to use different resources in my lessons to keep the student engaged- for example, the use of short videos to bring ideas alive, reading articles together to provide the base of discussions that will push students out of their curriculum to start thinking about 'real-world' scientific problems and concepts, practice exam questions, and quizzes. Many students feel overwhelmed by the amount of information they need to learn for Biology therefore, I use 'keywords' from the course specification and previous marking schemes to teach the students exactly what they need to know. For the more curious students, I can widen their knowledge of Biology and science as a whole, making links with current issues and ideas in the scientific community.

What I do when I am not tutoring

When I'm not tutoring, I am working on my full-time Ph.D. at the University of Birmingham. Late afternoons, evenings, and weekends are often preferable for me when tutoring, however, I do have some flexibility during the day for clients.

In my spare time, I write blog posts and articles for a range of journals and magazines on my current scientific research, environmental activism, and animal rights. For example, I recently had my first scientific publication in the International Journal of Sustainable Lighting focusing on my Master's research (investigating the effects of light pollution on marine and terrestrial organisms), and have been appointed as a volunteer writer for Sentient Media, an organisation that uses journalism to encourage transparency of information about how we use animals in our daily lives. I am also Education Officer for the UK Polar Network and a STEM Ambassador organisation alongside my P.hD. I have recently been offered a role as an international lecturer on cruise lines where I will share my love and passion for polar science and wildlife with a wide audience.

Testimonials

“My daughter has gained great confidence in understanding the different topics and exam techniques due to Octavia’s professionalism, hard work, enthusiasm, and building great rapport. I would recommend Octavia to any parents and students who are looking at developing their understanding and their skills in these subjects.” (Parent of student)

“The high levels of detail that are provided by Octavia in her tutoring sessions are useful and concise and have helped me to greatly improve in all areas of biology. Since starting tutoring with Octavia, I am now achieving 2 or 3 grades higher than I was only a few months ago, I couldn't really ask for much more.” (A-Level student)

“I 100% recommend Octavia for an A-Level Biology tutor as her knowledge is really strong and has really good technique with explaining the content in a way people will understand. She also makes you feel really at ease and I'm not afraid to say if I don't get anything. If there was anything I didn't understand she used diagrams and images to help me understand. Having her as my tutor has improved my grade and my understanding of the content as well as my confidence when answering exam questions.” (A-Level student)

''Octavia was very friendly and reliable. My daughter felt comfortable in her presence and found her easy to relate to. She explained the things that she was struggling with, in an easy-to-understand way, and also passed on some invaluable revision tips which Amy found very useful. I fully recommend Octavia as an A-Level Biology tutor.'' (Parent of A-Level student)