Athena Studies

Our tutors are ambitious, social and enthusiastic top tier students who excel in their field of study and have an affinity with teaching. This is what we seek in a tutor in order to provide the best lessons for the student. Only with an 8 or higher and a genuine interest in the relevant subject will such a top tier student be selected. After an initial interview, it is up to the selected candidate to show us how he or she teaches. If that is sufficient, the teacher who has been hired will enter the training process, consisting of one or more trial lessons in which an actual lesson is simulated. During the entire period up to the first lesson and after that, the (prospective) teacher is extensively supervised by a quality manager who has several years of teaching experience and has shown superior results. Only tutors who are evaluated by students with an 8.0 average or higher for multiple actual lessons are given a permanent place in our team of tutors. All permanent lecturers take part in an advanced training programme, which focuses on improving teaching fundamentals, such as didactics, pedagogy, interpersonal communication and presentation skills. View our tutor vacancy if you want to be a part of this. Our method At the heart of every course, active learning is the basis. Students are often tempted to (only) make summaries and re-read or highlight textbooks, with the misleading idea that this improves their study results. Based on the available evidence, these study techniques are rated as being low utility learning (Dulonsky et al. 2013). At AthenaStudies, we are constantly analysing the most recent studies and assess student needs in order to find the most effective study methods to ensure the highest grades. It is proven that the most effective study method is retrieving the information out of the brain, instead of putting information into the brain. Spitzer et al. (1939) found that students who did one extra practice test scored about 10-15% better on their exam that students who did not. A more recent study from Butler et al. (2010) suggest an even bigger difference, with an estimated 30%. Hence, practice is key. Karpicke & Blunt (2011) takes this idea one step further and found that a group of students who read a topic four times scored less than students who practiced with the topic only once. Our tech team has created an ideal online environment where our teaching methods can flourish. Every course given by AthenaStudies is interactive and includes a lot of exam level practice material. It gives the students the opportunity to practice during the course and think for themselves. With every course, a summary of the full exam curriculum is provided and sent to the home address of the students. References: Butler, A. C. (2010). Repeated testing produces superior transfer of learning relative to repeated studying. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 36(5), 1118. Dunlosky, J., Rawson, K. A., Marsh, E. J., Nathan, M. J., & Willingham, D. T. (2013). Improving students’ learning with effective learning techniques: Promising directions from cognitive and educational psychology. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 14(1), 4-58. Karpicke, J. D., & Blunt, J. R. (2011). Retrieval practice produces more learning than elaborative studying with concept mapping. Science, 331(6018), 772-775. Spitzer, H. F. (1939). Studies in retention. Journal of Educational Psychology, 30(9), 641.