Amy Fischer - Study Skills and Maths Tutoring

This is Agatha. She does not like closed doors, and has an unfortunate habit of needing to be let out of the room where I am teaching, halfway through a lesson.

She is noisy, but she hopes her fluffiness compensates for the minor interruption to tuition.

I love learning about learning, and I usually do that through reading! Here are a few faves.

What books about learning would you recommend?

PS If you are in the UK, Inside the Box by David Epstein is 99p on Kindle - I'd consider it a learning-adjacent book, so not precisely about learning, but on creativity and on how limitations can help us become more creative. Recommend!

It's easy to feel muddled with word problems, especially those with multiple steps. When students aren't sure where to start, I ask two simple questions: what do we know, and what do we need to find out?

When we talk about what we know, we might make a list, draw a picture, write down a formula, or remind ourselves of a definition.

When we decide what we need to find out, we can mark that in the list/picture/formula.

Seeing this information on paper helps students to connect the dots. They can see that the missing information is related to what they already know, and the way forward becomes more clear.

Sometimes students feel overwhelmed when they can't immediately see their way to a solution. These questions give students something productive to do instead of panicking, giving up, or throwing spaghetti at the wall.

🎈 I'm Amy, and helping students learn how to confidently approach tricky maths problems is woven into every single maths lesson I tutor. I have new groups starting in September just for home ed students sitting their maths GCSE soon, so please comment or message if you'd like to know more about how exam prep can help your chid develop resilience and confidence.

🌟 Sunday Introduction! 🌟
Hi! I'm Amy - I'm a study skills coach, maths tutor, and home educator. I'm originally from the US but I moved to the UK to study and I never really left!

I love helping students develop confidence in maths through lively discussion, steady progress, and teaching strategies for tricky maths problems. Whether it's drawing pictures, defining words, or asking, 'Does this answer make sense?', I aim to give students the tools to not only learn maths, but to learn to stick with hard things. I especially love to do this through small group classes for students preparing for GCSEs.

Introduce yourself below - I'd love to learn more about you!

PS I went on holiday and the best picture of me has this alpaca in it. As my eldest son would say, 'Of course.' 🦙

If your home educated student is planning to sit the Foundation Maths GCSE next summer, they can have support, camaraderie, and guidance on the way. My group revision class meets twice a week once in person and once online, includes personalised feedback, and focuses on small, consistent effort throughout the year (no panicked cramming!)

Interested? Let's chat. Comment below and we will arrange a time to talk.

Why group maths revision? Because adventures are better with friends.

GCSE Maths might not feel like much of an adventure. In fact, as a home educator, you might be feeling reluctant, nervous, and a little uncertain about getting your child on track to sit the exam. And yet that's exactly how I feel about sending any of my children off on an adventure. So I take some reasonable precautions:

🧭 Make sure they have a great guide. We've all seen the kids at the front of the pack confidently head off in the wrong direction. A good guide will keep everyone moving in the right direction
🧭 Bring friends. Adventures are better with friends - and there is less complaining. Camaraderie makes the time pass quickly, challenges you to push ahead, and encourages you when the going is tough
🧭 Aim for steady progress - not a sprint. The only way to keep a big goal - whether it's a summit or an exam - from overwhelming us is to take small, manageable steps toward the goal. This means an early start and consistent effort.

I think maths can be an adventure. It's exciting to see how the concepts fit together, to get that 'Aha!' moment, to puzzle over something and have it click. And like any adventure, it's better with friends, a guide, and consistent progress. I help this happen through small group classes, coaching in study skills, and a collaborative approach to learning.

If your child is aiming to sit their maths GCSE in summer 2028, I have a new group starting online in September. This is a place for your child to find friends for their journey, to benefit from a guide along the way, and to make consistent progress toward their goal.

Interested? Let's chat! Fill out this very short form and I'll be in touch to arrange a time to talk.

https://amyfischertutoring.com/lets-chat/

What a great morning meeting new students and chatting with new families!

My autumn schedule is filling up - if you are a home ed parent looking for GCSE maths support for your child, comment below. I'll be in touch to arrange a time to chat!

A good principle for maths, business, and life in general. A little bit of progress every day is much more effective in the long run than putting in a lot of effort at once and then burning out.

But here's the catch - when it comes to something with a deadline, you need an early start. Starting early gives you the space to enjoy the compounding benefit of slow-and-steady progress.

This is what I offer in my small group GCSE maths tuition. I offer the early start, the time your child needs to take small steps every day, the accountability to practice successful habits, and to head into their exam calm, confident, and prepared.

I have new groups starting in September and would love to chat about your child and the support they need for successful GCSEs. Comment 'interested' and I'll be in touch to arrange a time!

(Credit: This is a near quote from a conference talk by Dan Meredith that) I attended yesterday!)

On my way to TutorFest! Looking forward to spending time with other tutors and developing as a tutor!