Izabela Bratek

About Me

I am a friendly, down-to-earth person, who really enjoys teaching mathematics and science. I started tutoring in 2005 (after finishing VCE in 2004), this quickly ignited my passion for teaching. In 2007, I started Academy Plus Education, a tutoring company offering quality teaching, and a useful online resource for students. I enjoyed creating educational material, worksheets, exams, video resources and informative articles to help VCE students achieve their academic goals. I have been described as a patient, supportive and enthusiastic individual, and a teacher who genuinely cares and commits to every student I work with. I know what it feels like to be completely overwhelmed by a subject, my mission is to help students to feel more confident in their abilities and supported in their learning. I have seen many students bringing their “most dreaded subject”, and have witnessed their transformation from overwhelmed, to more confident, calm(-er), and more in control of their studies! There have been students who completely transformed, and announced that the subject has became their favorite subject! It is amazing what a little bit of positive support and encouragement can do, and it’s one of the reasons why I love doing what I do. I commit to every student and ensure they are gain something valuable from each session. I am up to date with the current VCAA study design (yes, even the 2020 one), this ensures that we are focusing on relevant content.

Subjects taught

  • VCE Math Methods (Unit 1/2 or Unit 3/4)
  • VCE Specialist Maths (Unit 3/4)
  • VCE Chemistry (Unit 1/2 or Unit 3/4)
  • VCE Biology (Unit 3/4)
  • Science (Year 7 – 10)
  • Mathematics (Year 7 – 10)

Experience

15 years of tutoring experience.

Qualifications

  •  Bachelor of Biomedical Science (Monash University) 2005-2007
  •  Bachelor of Chemical Engineering (Monash University) 2008 – 2013
  •  Graduate Diploma of Secondary Education (ACU) 2015 – 2016
  •  Qualified Teacher

Fee for 2021

Individual Private Lesson

$70 per hour lesson (weekly lessons are recommended)
within 15 km radius of Pakenham.  

$60 per hour lesson (online) 

Small Group Private Lesson

This is only for online sessions for groups of 2 or more students. 

$40 per student per hour (minimum 2 students)

Contact details

My phone number is 0401305399.

Please reach me via SMS 
Just include your name, subject/s and available times for tutoring and I will contact you ASAP. Thanks

What are my strengths as a teacher?

For me teaching is a profession that is highly rewarding, it has a unique blend of strong communication, creativity, ability to think outside the box, as well as being perceptive and adaptive to each student’s individual learning needs. My past students have found sessions to be effective, many being surprised that the content that once stressed them out, became easy to follow! My aim is to help the student to understand the topic, together with suitable practice questions grows their confidence. Teaching for me is not about delivering information, my focus as a teacher is to understand how the information is relevant and how it can be integrated into the student’s current sphere of knowledge. To teach effectively I need to understand a student’s thinking process, how to make the content relevant to their current knowledge. I develop rapport with my students, I genuinely want to see where they might be stuck and help clarify those areas. This helps students feel comfortable asking questions and tuning into the lessons!

How are sessions organised?

Sessions are tailored to the specific needs of each individual student. There is no right/wrong approach – it simply depends on what you prefer. I encourage active learning in sessions, which focuses on completing a range of different questions. However depending on the student’s subject and preference, tutoring sessions have the following components:

  • answering application style questions that are often found in SACs.
  • weekly progression through the curriculum (theory) and exercise questions.
  • help with homework questions
  • preparation for tests and SACs.
  • preparing for end of year examinations.
  • a blend of all of the above.

How will we work on raising your SAC marks?

Usually the students I work with genuinely want to improve their grades, but the subject frustrates them, because the tests or SACs that are given at school are different, often more difficult, to their textbook questions. Many struggle with application style questions, where they have to convert their knowledge of a topic and translate it into practical use. They may have an understanding of the theory, but struggle connecting exactly how it needs to be used when answering a question! During lessons we practice applying the knowledge to unknown context – which is an important stage of active learning. This skill is usually something that high performing students have been able to master, and as a teacher I assist students to apply their knowledge to application style questions.