John Martin

My lessons are highly personalised and built around each student’s goals, strengths, and learning style. With a PhD in physics and experience teaching undergraduate students, I focus on creating a supportive, interactive environment where complex ideas become intuitive. Sessions typically blend guided problem-solving, clear conceptual explanations, and targeted practice, adapting in real time to what the student needs most. No two lessons look the same, each one is shaped around the student’s progress, curiosity, and confidence. My aim is to help learners not only master the material but also develop the analytical mindset that makes maths feel logical and even enjoyable.

Achieving real progress in maths comes from strengthening the areas where students feel least confident. My approach focuses on identifying those gaps early and working through them in a supportive, structured way. Lessons combine targeted practice on challenging topics with guided walkthroughs of past exam papers, helping students become familiar with exam style, timing, and the types of questions they’ll face. Alongside this, we regularly revisit current school or college work to reinforce understanding and ensure classroom learning feels manageable and connected. By building confidence step by step and practising with real exam material, students develop both the skills and the self-belief they need to succeed.

A typical first session is all about understanding where the student is starting from and what might be holding them back. We begin by exploring their existing maths knowledge: what feels comfortable, what feels confusing, and how they currently approach problem-solving. Just as importantly, we talk through any mental or anxiety barriers that make progress feel difficult, creating a calm space where students can be honest about what worries them. From there, we work through a few basic maths questions together to get a clear sense of their thinking process and confidence level. This gentle, structured start helps me tailor future lessons precisely to their needs and ensures they feel supported from the very beginning.