Thomas Baker, Maths & Further Maths

I have always loved mathematics, and my mother is a maths teacher, too. I have been through the experiences my students are having, from school level through the MAT for university and university admissions interviews. I enjoy maths because it becomes a puzzle you can solve logically, with surprising and beautiful patterns emerging from nothing.

I studied mathematics at Oxford for my undergraduate, then completed a PhD in Harmonic Analysis at Imperial College London. While at Imperial, I had the opportunity to teach undergraduate students and I realised that I enjoyed teaching mathematics more than researching it.

My tutoring style is concentrated on the idea that understanding must be built on understanding. To that end I make sure I listen to the students and find where they are confident, and where they need help. If they are struggling with a concept, I find that going back to where they do grasp the ideas and working up from there can have great effect. I also believe that memorizing equations and formulae is much easier if you are shown how they arise, so I try to include that before moving on to problems.