Ayisha Ul-Zufar

I like to begin by understanding how my student is getting on with Biology - their current understanding and knowledge, how much of the curriculum they've actually been taught, what their curriculum examples are as well as which parts they struggle with/excel at. Gaining this information then allows me to tailor the content of my lessons to exactly what my student needs so that none of your time or money is wasted. I also like to know how my student is currently studying and what methods they think work for them and which ones don't. This will help me when choosing what to advise my student be doing outside of our lessons in order to keep up with the content. My teaching style begins with breaking up the daunting curriculum into smaller, more manageable chunks/topics. In each lesson, we will study one of these small topics, explaining the different parts of it in full detail and addressing any difficulties my student has straight away so that we can minimise any confusion around the content. In this time, I will answer any queries my student has whilst also ensuring they are aware of how exactly each part of the topic may present in the exam (e.g whether they will simply have to recall it like a fact from memory for a short exam question or if they would need to have a deeper understanding in order to apply it in a longer exam question.) This will then help them reflect on how they study each topic in their own time and what revision methods to use. After my student has a solid understanding, we will then test this via practice questions, both written and verbally discussed, and then we will schedule 2-3 future lessons where we will go over the content again. As someone who has been through it, the amount of stress these exams can cause you or your child can be huge if there is not a firm teaching plan in place which is why I am really passionate about helping my students stay organised and managing their time. Since I am also quite young and my education hasn't finished myself, I think I am also very relatable for young students and can also help them think about their futures in science related subjects as I have gained a lot of insight from being a Pharmacist myself. I am known to be very warm, positive and easy going which reflects in the way I teach - creating a comfortable environment for my student which allows them to easily focus on learning.