Pip Marden came to Literacy Aotearoa in 2008. On leaving school she worked in clerical positions and, later, did volunteer work for various organizations including Pregnancy Help, Community Council on Alcohol and Mediation Services. She has also worked for a community radio station, in child care and as an occupational therapy assistant with the elderly. Pip has completed several psychology papers at University of Otago and is part way through a science degree.

She tutors in all aspects of literacy but is most passionate about numeracy. A self confessed sudoku addict Pip believes that too many of us suffer from 'Maths anxiety'.

'Many adults are afraid of numbers and calculations. They may have had negative experiences at school and steer clear of anything maths related.'

Pip believes that school maths can be difficult for children because it doesn't have the same practical application it has for adults. She also understands how it feels to struggle with numeracy.

'I didn't always get maths that well myself. Not at school anyway.'

It wasn't until Pip went to university that she discovered she had a flair for numbers.

'I had to do a statistics paper for psychology and I enjoyed it. I think my brain has become more mathematical as I've got older. I see patterns in things and I enjoy the logical process of mathematics.'

Pip enjoys sharing her passion and seeing others grow in confidence with numeracy.

'Sometimes students just need to find another way of looking at problems. They may be using the wrong strategy or making just little mistakes in their calculations. It's often a matter of helping them find out where they are going wrong.'

Since tutoring at Literacy Aotearoa Pip has taught all levels of numeracy, from total beginners to a student studying for second year electrical engineering course.

Her tutoring experience includes:

• Computing for beginners
• Volunteer tutoring
• Apprenticeships
• Beginning and advanced maths groups.

As a tutor Pip sees her role as building and enhancing what her learners already know.

' People think they're not good at maths but when you sit down and look at all the maths you do in an average days it's surprising. A trip to the supermarket involves all sorts of numerical calculations, for example. Adult literacy is all about 'filling in the gaps'.'

'You can have a lot of fun with numbers. Games are great learning tools and I tend to use a lot of visual aids as well. Being able to see things like fractions for example, is useful. And, while you can be as creative as you like as a maths tutor, it's also important to provide repetition. You need to reinforce the learning to make it stick.'

Pip enjoys tutoring maths and seeing students become more confident in their everyday lives. She is available for all levels of maths tuition.