Hello. My name is Bijan and I have a passion for teaching mathematics.

I have been an educator for over 23 years. I am also a psychologist and counselor. One of the factors that influenced me to study psychology was my experiences with my pupils. I could see that in most cases, attainment has much more to do with motivation than ‘ability’. Although motivation is influenced by perceived ability, this is often based wrongly on previous feedback and not real potential.

Many factors can affect mathematics performance and these may have little to do with actual ability. Sadly, once the mindset that, “I am not good at maths” (often expressed as, “I don’t like maths”) sets in, the prophecy tends to become self-fulfilling. I have explained this in more detail in my book, "Why and how toddlers should memorise their times tables."

Often, students come to me with very low confidence. After a few sessions, they are often transformed, becoming much more confident and achieving higher grades than expected. However, the most rewarding aspect of my work is seeing my students beginning to enjoy and appreciate mathematics, as well as other subjects, much more.

I am passionate about education and, since 2005, I have been conducting research into factors that affect students’ understanding and enjoyment of their school subjects, especially mathematics and science, at the University of London.

I believe that the earlier mathematical thinking is encouraged, the higher the long-term dividends, but it’s never too late.