Silvia Newton

Hello, and welcome!

I am Silvia, mathematician by training, teacher by vocation and mum to one of the (bright, lovely, yet sometimes intense!) Thinkers who had the fortune of benefitting from TMU classes during our home education journey.

I am now delighted to join in myself with the vision of inspiring a new generation of young people, and my specific contribution will be to challenge the stereotype that paints Mathematics as a subject where there is always an answer, and a right one. I invite the Thinkers into the world of Mathematical Thinking, wondering at ideas, exploring how certain concepts came about, why, how they fit together, and developing the mental discipline of rigour that needs to accompany the creative process of mathematical problem solving and, ultimately, discovery (or is it invention? 😊 ).

I hold a Master’s degree in Mathematics summa cum Laude from the University of Rome “La Sapienza”, I studied Mathematics Education at the University of Warwick, from where I also got a PGCE Secondary Maths, going on to classroom teaching for a few years. I stepped out of the classroom to be a mum, and in short order a home educating one, whilst I carried on offering private tuition. I aim to engage my students in conversations that elicit their curiosity and facilitate their own understanding. My favourite moment is the lightbulb one: seeing the young people in front of me come to a realisation or an insight that they own fully.

In my ever dwindling spare time I enjoy baking, crafting, playing board and role playing games, and, of course, reading!