Published
City St George’s, University of London Medical student Lara Egendal is reflecting on her time as a mentor on the Science Stars tutoring programme and the students she has supported over the last three years.
Science Stars widening participation initiative
Science Stars began at legacy St George’s in 2018, focused specifically on school-based activities designed to help Year 11 pupils to prepare for GCSEs and increase their attainment in science.
The programme is delivered in-person by current students at the School of Health & Medical Sciences following a pre-designed curriculum. The programme is currently implemented at two schools: Ernest Bevin in Tooting, and Burntwood in Wandsworth.
Between October and April, the pupils meet weekly with trained students to receive customised tutoring. Each session is delivered in small groups and is tailored to each participant’s individual needs.
Benefits recorded for pupils participating in the programme include:
- Positive impacts on revision skills, understanding their own learning and students’ confidence in science
- Decreased levels of test anxiety among participants
- Grade increases at GCSE level.
Lara, who is about to enter her final year on the MBBS, is the longest-serving tutor and her time on the programme is ending. We asked her about her role and what she will take forward into her medical career.
Why did you want to join Science Stars?
My own experience of studying science for my International Baccalaureate played a major part. The traditional classroom learning environment wasn’t working for me, because it was too fast-paced, and I quickly fell behind. It was only when I worked through my chemistry text books during the summer break, that everything turned around. I was able to take my time to understand the concepts and examples, make copious notes and complete practice questions. It made such a difference, and I scored better than predicted in Chemistry. I realised I wasn’t bad at science - I just needed more time to grasp concepts than the teacher could allow. Individual teaching in a class of 30 people is not possible, and it’s easy to fall behind and underperform in tests.
What do you do in your role as tutor?
I analyse data from the quizzes we give the students to identify the areas they most struggle with. I then tailor the pre-made lesson content to address those weaknesses and select exam questions that give them a chance to use the new information they’ve learnt. Throughout the programme, you need to develop an understanding of your students as learners and find ways to encourage them to participate.
How have you found the experience?
There is a great sense of camaraderie amongst the tutors and the schools. Marlene Copeland, Neil Gilbride and the staff at the schools do an incredible job of making the tutors feel fully supported in their roles. I’ve had the best time.
How have you found juggling your studies and tutoring?
Since I’ve been doing this for three years now, I know the content really well so I’m able to prepare the lessons faster. That’s helped me balance tutoring and my studies, as my academic load has increased. As a fourth-year medical student, having to commute from distant placement sites to the school every Wednesday was sometimes a challenge, but the role demands only three hours of time per week, which has always been feasible for me.
Have you gained any skills that you can apply to your future career?
Absolutely! You have to get creative when trying to make some of the dryer scientific subjects engaging to a group of 15-year-olds, who are tired after a long day.
Tutoring is also a massive test to your communication skills. Having to explain scientific concepts to patients who haven’t opened a science book since their own GCSEs or O-Levels happens every day in healthcare settings.
What has been your proudest moment as a Science Stars Tutor?
I recently ran into one of the students I tutored, and he told me how happy he was with his GCSE science grade. It was a drastic improvement to his original predicted score. I could see how proud he was of his achievement, and he thanked me for helping him. That was a lovely ‘full circle’ moment for me. I really hope I can continue to find tutoring and mentoring opportunities in my future career in healthcare or beyond.