There are a number of benefits to having a qualified mathematics teacher as a tutor. Teachers undergo four years of full time theoretical and practical training in various education subjects using current research-based best teaching practice. They also possess the most current knowledge and techniques used in maths and science above and beyond the curriculum. In this way teaching becomes evidence-based, holistic, individualised, differentiated and practical for every individual student. What’s most important as an educator is knowing how to teach (pedagogy) using evidence-based teaching frameworks, differentiating a maths program to individual students based on their learning needs, and designing the most appropriate traditional and digital resources to build students’ confidence in maths quickly and easily. It’s not a one-fix-all approach since all students have variable learning needs, and come from rich and diverse backgrounds.

Teachers are qualified in a range of areas: subject specific disciplines, classroom technologies, classroom management, differentiation, adolescent cognitive and social development, successful teaching strategies, literacy strategies, assessment design and reporting, cultural competence, and curriculum methods. You can be confident that under the guidance of a teacher, students will have the most qualified and experienced person teaching not only the full curriculum of skills required, but also mentoring students in motivation, planning, mastery goal orientation and engagement in learning. Teachers know exactly what knowledge, skills, understanding, and mathematical reasoning students require to be successful at all levels of mathematics and have the important pedagogical (how to teach) and content expertise (knowledge and skills) to help students reach their academic goals quickly.

Teachers also complete 14 weeks of full time school placement as part of their degree which means they have loads of practical classroom experience before even stepping into a full time role. During practicum, teachers are exposed to heterogeneous groups of diverse students at all levels and from all backgrounds. Teachers also target problem-solving, higher-order thinking, and mathematical literacy, essential components of success in mathematics.

As you can see there are several pros to having a teacher support students through their core STEM subjects.