10% discount for knowitall.ch readers on all private tutoring and workshops (including SAT bootcamps), plus admissions advising services.
A new education consulting company has been set up in Geneva which aims to make learning enjoyable and fulfilling for its students!
Founded by Ursula Durand and David Wahl, Scientia Education provides tutoring and academic advising services that are tailored to the individual needs of each student, ranging from school-age kids, through to university students, and even their parents!
Ursula and David have developed an approach to education, based on their own educational journeys, which they believe can help guide students through theirs. Throughout their careers, they have worked in: international and state secondary schools; US and UK universities; natural and social sciences; public and private institutions; and both academic and corporate professions. As each of these settings has presented its own challenges, they have found that their ability to overcome these challenges consistently rested on their skills, curiosity and confidence - which is central to their approach to students’ learning.
Describing this approach to knowitall.ch, Ursula told us, “We aim to develop these elements in our students - not just simply raise their grades or test scores. Having taught and learnt in many different contexts, we appreciate that learning is not a clear-cut process, but a complex one with several factors and interactions. Our instructors assess the learning process of each of their students and write a lesson plan tailored to their goals, abilities and learning styles. This assessment is systematic: students are continuously evaluated and lessons are modified accordingly - even a minor change can have a significant impact on a student's progress. Our personalized approach both challenges and motivates students. Ultimately, we believe it prepares them to make the most of their university experience and to face a wide array of academic, professional and even personal challenges.”
Wide range of tuition services
Scientia offers a wide range of tuition services, details of which can be found on the company’s website, https://www.scientia-education.com/. David summarised them for us,
“Our aim is to help students benefit as much as possible from their time in school. Whether it is for remedial work on a subject or for pushing themselves in an area they love, we work with individual students or in small groups to help improve academic skills.”
He continued “For final year students, we can help them prepare for internal assessments and school exams (IB, A Levels, APs, Maturite, etc.) both in English and French. We also have a long experience in coaching for standardized tests such as the SAT and ACT for entrance to American universities. In our experience, regular training beats last minute efforts, so it is important for parents to identify their child’s tuition needs early.”
Planning a route to university
For students planning to attend university, Scientia offers bespoke academic advising to help them plan a strong application, both academically and for extra-curricular activities. This is particularly important for US and UK admissions. Using their experience teaching at universities, they also advise students applying to graduate programs across the world.
Where needed, they can provide training for university interviews and admissions tests (such as those used by Oxford and Cambridge). Given the time it can take to build a student’s credentials, Scientia advises parents to help their children devise a plan as soon as they can.
Customized programs
Ursula and David believe strongly that academic skills need to be complemented with soft skills, skills that help students showcase what they can do to the world. For this reason, Scientia offers tailored programs to help students develop communication abilities such as academic writing and presentation techniques. More recently they ran a writing workshop for teens, aimed at strengthening their writing skills and exploring different styles. They also develop customized courses in response to demand, the latest being for a parent of one of their students who asked them to create a course on the physics of sound for musicians.
Why choose Scientia?
Given the wide range of tutoring companies that exist in this region, why should anyone choose Scientia?
Ursula told us, “The approach we have developed comes from a varied and wide experience at the school, university, and professional level. In our tutors, we prioritize a natural ability to tutor and we prioritize real practice of a subject, either in a professional or research capacity. This helps us make subjects living for our students; for example, we don’t just teach economic theory, but we can share our experiences of how economics is used in the financial world, or by governments and international institutions.”
She continued, “Our senior tutors have a wealth of teaching experience and continuously provide guidance and training to tutors to share their knowhow. Building on our time in research, we are constantly developing proprietary techniques to target specific learning objectives. We encourage our instructors to assess the learning processes of each of their students including the teaching culture used at their schools. For example, do schools focus on theory or practice, breadth, or depth of knowledge? Based on this assessment, we can tailor lessons and teaching techniques to their goals, abilities, and learning styles.”
Who needs Scientia?
Scientia will teach anyone who wants to learn, including students, parents and occasionally professionals. But according to David, their clients typically fall into two student categories:
1. Between 14-18 old, preparing for university and working on subject content and university applications.
2. Between 18-22, at university and either reviewing fundamentals of their subject or working on improving communication skills, frequently for academic essay writing or thesis preparation (masters and/or doctorate).
Scientia can offer teaching in English, French, and Spanish, and will work with students from both international and local schools.
Client recommendations
When it comes to education, and in particular tutoring, personal recommendations go a long way towards helping parents choose a special tutor for their child. So when two of Scientia’s clients wrote to us with their recommendation, we were more than happy to mention them here.
One parent told us, “Ursula has been teaching our 14-year old son for two years. He is advanced and in a competitive school. She has boosted his confidence especially with regard to exams, which were his weak point. She tutored him 1-1 mostly in Maths, Physics and Chemistry, and also some English. She is always well prepared for the lessons and goes through the curriculum methodically. The lessons are packed, very intense and fast paced, covering a lot of ground but sometimes focus on his weaknesses as required. This is greatly helped by her ability to explain succinctly, which is characteristic of Ursula's teaching style. We are very grateful to her for all she has given our son and we are very pleased to recommend her without any reservation.”
And this is what one student told us, “I have been a student at Scientia Education for physics tutoring for a few months now. I am a year 13 higher physics student at the International School of Geneva, and I must say I find physics quite difficult in the understanding of some ideas and the ways to process them. This is why I started studying with David Wahl and I do feel a change. Indeed, the way he teaches is quite interesting to me because he has a different approach…in the way that he aims to help me understand the physics so that I am able to truly grasp the ideas, but additionally he teaches me the IB tactics and way to approach exercises. This for me is quite a new way to learn and I like it…I would, without a doubt, recommend Scientia, as it was recommended to me.”
If you need any further encouragement to get in touch with Scientia, David and Ursula have kindly offered knowitall.ch readers a 10% discount on all services booked through them before the end of 2017. This includes all private tutoring, either at home or via Skype, as well as all workshops, including their popular SAT Bootcamps. The discount also covers all admissions advising services. Just mention this article on knowitall.ch when you contact Scientia to claim your discount!
Scientia Education
Avenue Rosemont 11
Geneva 1208
Switzerland
022 735 4518
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
www.scientia-education.com
