Struggling with LANTITE? Math Tutoring with an Experienced, Friendly and Responsive Tutor!

Find out more about Liv

• When did you develop an interest in your chosen field and in private tutoring?

  I have always enjoyed learning new things and discovering the different ways that people learn.
  Early in my adult working life, mentoring new employees sparked an interest that led to formal qualifications as a workplace trainer and eventually to work in the vocational education and training sector. I gained experience training adult learners one-on-one and in small groups across Australia and abroad, with a particular focus on integrating literacy and numeracy in diverse settings like Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea.
  
  Years later, as a parent, my curiosity about children’s literacy and numeracy development led to further study in tertiary education. I applied this knowledge in schools, homeschools, and recreational contexts before shifting to private online tutoring during 2020.
  
  Since then, I have conducted thousands of one-to-one sessions, primarily in English, mathematics, and LANTITE Literacy and Numeracy.

• Tell us more about the subject you teach, the topics you like to discuss with students (and possibly those you like a little less).

  Nowadays, I tutor adults in literacy and numeracy, and young people in English and mathematics.
  I have found that students learn best when they can apply what they learn to something real and of interest to them. I enjoy finding relevant, useful examples of how language, literacy and numeracy can be applied in the world around us.
  
  I also get a kick out of helping students apply useful reading strategies and make broader connections in mathematical reasoning, because developing these literacy and numeracy skills can be useful way beyond any test!

• Did you have any role models; a teacher that inspired you?

  Throughout my own education, a few teachers stood out as role models, either for their kindness, their guidance on different ways to study and learn, or their approach to teaching.
  
  The best lessons learnt were not in the content taught but in the learning process itself; for example, my Japanese teacher explained how to manage study anywhere (like a coffee shop!), my French teacher taught me how to review learning (recalling and consolidating knowledge), and a vocational trainer helped me to realise how I learn best (through multi-sense activities – reading, saying aloud, writing, observing and doing)!
  
  These teachers inspired me to draw out my own understanding, rather than imposing theirs on me; a key principle I have tried to emulate in my own teaching.

• What do you think are the qualities required to be a good tutor?

  I believe that mutual respect, active listening, empathy, kindness and collaboration are desirable qualities for a tutor.
  
  Respect is paramount; by respecting learners as unique individuals with prior experiences, preferences and various ways of knowing and doing things, tutors can adapt the content, adjust the pace and vary their approaches to best suit the learner’s needs.
  
  By actively listening – paraphrasing explanations and asking questions – tutors can help to clarify (and correct, if needed) the learner’s thinking processes.
  
  Empathising with students, both with their frustration at challenges as well as with their joy upon success, through kindness and compassion, allows students to feel safe and understood.
  
  
  Tutors are collaborators; through a gradual release of responsibility, they demonstrate, explain, guide, and hand over learning to the student.

• Provide a valuable anecdote related to your subject or your days at school.

  A key lesson I learnt about maths in my later school days is that it’s not good enough to understand the concept alone! Even when a good teacher explains something in clear, easily digestible parts – so that the concept makes sense – Well, that’s terrific! But it’s not enough! That ‘observational understanding’ doesn’t always translate to when you are by yourself as a student, staring at a problem and thinking, ‘Um, how do I apply the concept here? …to this problem? Where do I start?’ (Even worse, when that happens in a test!)
  
  The lesson I learnt was that for me to make use of the maths concept, I had to apply it! ONCE? – Yes, definitely. In TEN problems? – Better! In 100 problems? – THIS! THIS is where the full variety of how you might encounter and apply this concept is tested.
  
  And only when I did this was I able to fully integrate the concept, recognising it when it was presented obviously, as well as backwards, or with missing values, or in unfamiliar scenarios! It’s how you move from competency to proficiency with a topic.
  
  
  Truthfully, I actually decided to put this effort in to prove to my maths teacher that I could get a great mark on a particular algebra test, but I ended up proving to myself that I could get an exceptional mark in maths when I applied this approach. I absolutely surprised myself! And learnt more about ‘how to learn’ maths!

• What were the difficulties or challenges you faced or are still facing in your subject?

  I am the first to admit that maths is not a natural ‘language’ for me as it is for some. I have had to work at it, and I’m okay with that!
  
  Vividly recalling the time at school when I realised I could no longer skate through maths purely on what was taught during class and my own ego still haunts and amuses me! But I have achieved great results in maths because of the decision I made back then to become disciplined about practice.
  
  I recognise the same success in others - those who take charge of their own learning and hold themselves accountable, who attend tutoring consistently and work at it between sessions, will often surprise themselves after the test with how well they did! It’s a confidence in this learned ability to ‘do the math!’

• Do you have a particular passion? Is it teaching in general or an element of the subject or something completely different?

  In terms of tutoring, I am especially passionate about students recognising their own growth and belief in themselves.
  
  I get a kick out of seeing the ‘A-ha!’ moment, where students make sense of some topic, connect ideas or work through a problem independently! Their whole presence grows, their eyes light up, and that small smile of happiness to have proved to themselves that they can do it - that’s my jam!

• What makes you a Superprof (besides answering these interview questions)?

  I believe that respect is paramount. Recognising that knowledge and understanding develop through experience means every student has to start somewhere, probably with some basis they use as a reference, and will learn what they need, when it fits their needs and in their own time. Recognising and valuing what students already know and can do – upholding a strengths-based approach - these are core tenets of my tutoring approach.
  
  Likewise, valuing effort and scaffolding lateral connections are essential elements of my tutoring! When students feel safe enough to risk mistakes - and are provided opportunities to associate new learning areas with other aspects of life – the learning becomes less abstract and theoretical; instead, it becomes real, trialled, tested and integrated.
  
  I believe what makes me a Superprof is the deep respect I hold for learning and learners, the empathy I feel for learning something new and the value I place on the different ways we can come to know things.