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ATTEMPT to construct a house on marshland without first draining the land and building firm foundations and, no matter how much time and effort you apply, your structure is unlikely to take shape.
And the same, says a tutor with a long association with Jersey, is true of mathematics, a subject which has a tendency to fill many students with dread whenever they see it on the timetable.
For Peter Fekete, though, who ran Black’s Academy for 13 years, first in St Helier and then in St Lawrence, maths is not something to be feared.
Having spent more than a decade since closing his school in 2005 carrying out research and writing projects, the former head of sixth form at Victoria College has now developed a ‘sophisticated diagnostic tool’, comprising 40,000 lines of code, which he combines with his own experience to pinpoint a student’s position on the curriculum.
‘Combining this diagnostic tool with my own knowledge enables me to judge, to within a chapter, where a student is on the curriculum and where the gaps in their knowledge and barriers to progress are,’ he explained. ‘For example, I have been tutoring one girl whose IQ was exceptional. She was familiar with everything up to the 12 times table, but had not yet encountered a square number. However, despite her high IQ, she was still counting on her fingers, so I started by working on her mental arithmetic and number bonds to ensure that she had the right foundations on which we could build.’
As well as assessing and developing a student’s academic ability, Mr Fekete says that creating an enjoyable learning environment is key.
‘All the tuition I offer is one-to-one, so that I maintain that vital insight into their progress and understanding,’ he said. ‘This is also critical to developing a rapport with the student, which not only helps them to overcome their difficulties but, perhaps most importantly, helps them to enjoy the lessons. So many students come to me saying they don’t like maths but, as soon as they begin to understand it, they start to love it.
‘This is supported by the learning zone I have created, and which I believe is unique to Black’s Academy, which means that students begin lessons at exactly the right level for them, meaning they are in the right place to make steady and accelerated progress.’
Perhaps inspired by his own student days – ‘I’m sure I’m dyslexic, although I’ve never had a formal diagnosis’ – Mr Fekete is particularly keen to support students with learning difficulties, which he says are sometimes associated with dyslexia or dyscalculia.
‘These conditions often present themselves as learning difficulties and, as a teacher, I want to support those people to overcome those difficulties,’ he said. ‘If parents see that their children are struggling with maths, are finding it hard to understand symbols or have a tendency to reverse letters or numbers, then their children could benefit from additional support.’
With this in mind, Mr Fekete, who is now based in the UK, had developed a dyslexia/dyscalculia pilot study, which he will be running over the summer for students who have been diagnosed with either or both of these conditions.
‘The pilot scheme is designed to test the effectiveness of Black’s Academy study programme and demonstrate how these teaching methods can support students’ progress,’ he said.
‘There are ten free places available and students are required to complete a minimum of 20 hours’ study before the autumn term begins. The data, which will remain anonymous, will then be assessed.
‘If the results show what I think they will, I very much hope that I will be able to develop a version of my teaching model for use in the classroom.’
More information about both the summer pilot scheme and the full range of Black’s Academy tuition services is available by calling Mr Fekete on 07957 749336 or visiting blacksacademy.net.
