My Approach

If I were to pick three cornerstones on which I base teaching, they would be:

Curiosity: I’m currently running with the notion that by and large, everyone can develop an advanced understanding of - or aptitude for - something if they are given the opportunity, their interest is genuine, and attention is there. I have seen enough people with supposed difficulties and disinterest in maths follow a thorough exploration of Fibonacci in nature to see this to hold some truth.

But interest and attention can disappear in subtle ways - from teaching that lacks relevance, to gaps in our understandings that grow, to the fear of being wrong, to a resistance to authority, to the idea that an aptitude for something is simply not in our nature.

So fundamental to my approach is around facilitating and following the curiosity of the student. Often this involves building around fun activities and practical real-life projects devised with the student or with an understanding of what makes them tick. Activities include like blackberry picking and baking to explore maths and measurement through the quantities and proportions in the recipe; or design projects to explore quadratic equations.

Cooperation: I used to be a keen tennis player with a terrible backhand. A few years ago I started playing again regularly with my friend Milo, and after a while to get into the swing of things, I was ready to start playing some games. But Milo mostly likes to just play rallies.

Initially, I was itching to play more competitive games. But soon I realised that this was a wonderful way to play tennis - allowing a nice rhythm with plenty of shots; trying out different techniques; enjoying the sound and feel of the ball; moving eachother around the court; and occasionally trying to smash an unreturnable shot down the line. Essentially, this spirit of cooperation allowed us to work on our weaknesses and learn from our mistakes, and to enjoy the process.

Understanding: Sometimes I like to ask people a version of the following questions:

Me: What’s 12 x 12?

Them: [remembering their 12 times tables] 144

Me: OK, what’s 13 x 12?

Them: [taking a moment to realise that that’s one extra 12] 156

Me: OK, and what’s 13 x 13?

Them: This is a rubbish game

The point here is to highlight that sometimes we don’t have a particularly deep understanding of the question and the language of maths, let alone how to get to an answer. How does 13 x 12 relate to 13 x 13? Some people think the answer will be 1 bigger, some people go for 12 bigger, while others will start afresh and try to calculate 13 x 13 much like we would with a pen and paper.

If you see that there is one extra 13, or are able to break it down into 10 x 13 + 3 x 13 and work with that, the answer 169 will come smoothly. But you might be surprised how many adults struggle with such a question, let alone kids, in times where practical understanding seems to make way for short term grades. So to explore and unblock barriers to learning, I find that building on solid foundations of from the ground up can be hugely beneficial.