However, I still missed working in that dynamic classroom environment - and so at the start of Lent term (the one after Christmas, for some reason Cambridge gives terms weird names...) I signed up to volunteer in a local AS Use of Maths class as part of the STIMULUS programme. For me, this has been a fantastic experience - the students were a lot more challenging but I really learnt a lot. One of the main problems in the class was keeping all the students focused on their tasks, as well as catering to a wide range of abilities. Some students were retaking GCSE Maths alongside their AS Levels, so were significantly behind those students who achieved good grades at GCSE. My role was to help individual students who were struggling to understand the work, and also to encourage any students who were distracted to return to their class exercises. The experience really taught me how to explain complex ideas to less academically able students - for example by using mnemonics, analogies and diagrams depending on their individual learning styles. I found that many students did enjoy Maths once they started to understand a topic, but due to not quite grasping the basics at GCSE some had really found the step up to AS Level difficult. Once they began struggling, the were then easily distracted by their phones or friends - and so it was very important for me to keep moving around the class and prompting such students to refocus on their studies.
I also helped to run small group sessions revising calculus (a topic they had covered the previous term) in preparation for the upcoming exams. Many students had forgotten most of the topic or found such 'pure' maths boring - and so I learnt to teach them using real life examples in order to maintain their attention.
I have really learnt a lot about how to manage large groups of challenging students, communicate ideas effectively and make Maths an exciting subject for students. This has also been a great addition to my CV - and so I would really recommend any other students given the opportunity to volunteer in teaching to have a go!
