Bartosz K.

My teaching philosophy focuses on simplifying difficult concepts and building understanding from the very basics. This is done by providing real-life anecdotes and examples, alongside the encouragement of active recall, and discussing the topics mentioned in the last lesson.

During the first session with a new student, I would typically take 10 to 15 mins to introduce myself and get to know a little more about them. Establishing a connection right away makes the lessons more enjoyable for both parties, and I always found myself taking more from lessons where the teacher was friendly with me. Another key takeaway from the first lesson is the teaching style, as adapting to the students' needs and wants will make the lessons more productive in the future.

As a former IB student, I know plenty about independent learning, especially during the times of the pandemic! Every student has a unique chain of reasoning, and for me, it is essential to direct them and encourage them to express their own opinions.

A really helpful tool for staying motivated on the task ahead is scheduling your next day the night before. Setting yourself small goals for the short and long term can also help to establish a study routine, allowing for more efficient time allocation as well as the studying itself.

By asking questions aimed at identifying the root of the difficulty. Additionally, dissecting the concept from the very basics can help to identify the missing information that will guarantee the student fully understands a topic.

Practice makes perfect, so encouraging them to do as many reading comprehensions as possible is certainly one of these strategies. When reading through the text, underlining keywords, as well as ones you might not understand, also helps to improve your interpretation.

These certainly depend on the understanding of the content by the student, as well as the subject at hand. With math, constant training of the same knowledge over again certainly helps, by solving exercises, whereas for the humanities, the understanding must come from effective visualization, as well as simplification of different concepts.

Help them in setting small goals that they are more than capable of achieving, such as by completing a certain number of exercises or understanding a concept. As a student, I know that after understanding a certain concept fully, you are encouraged to push on!

Firstly, I like to simplify the concepts to their simplest form, going through them step by step to make sure that every detail is understood. Secondly, active recall done by the student themselves will be highly encouraged, alongside solving multiple past papers pre-exam to understand the question style.

Start from the basics and aim to build up to the more difficult concepts when these are understood.

I am proactive by asking questions about where the student feels they have gaps within their knowledge and whether they think their methods of studying are ineffective, providing advice on how to improve on that.

Some students feel more comfortable solving the questions by themselves, whereas others would like to be walked through the whole process. Understanding this, as well as adapting to their style regarding proactivity is key.

Alongside the software available through the IB ++ Tutors website, using google docs is very useful since I can see the student's work and give active advice by seeing the effects on my screen. Additionally, in mathematics, I have access to IB Revision Village, a key material that provides students with numerous past papers and videos helping them to study for exams.