The philosophy of StudySpot is simple: Good students possess certain skills that allow them to reach their potential and manage school more effectively.
Since 1999, StudySpot has provided Academic Coaching support to late elementary, high school and university students in Toronto. Although coaching is standard practice in most areas of human achievement, most notably in athletics, it has been relatively ignored in academics. At StudySpot, our goal is to equip students with the tools they require to be effective learners overall, and to provide them with the opportunity for improvement that will last throughout their school lives.
Over the past 11 years, StudySpot has worked with over 500 students. Our primary referral sources have been educational psychologists, guidance counselors and past clients. StudySpot has gained a strong reputation for helping students with their organizational and study skills.
Steve Udvari
StudySpot was the natural evolution of Steve’s two loves: education and sports. He played Major Junior A hockey in Sault Ste. Marie and Niagara Falls before attending the University of Waterloo. After Waterloo, Steve completed his MA in School and Child Clinical Psychology at OISE/University of Toronto. Steve’s research interests centered on high level academic achievement and how best to foster it. Working with students one-to-one, which he did often during his Masters programme, gave him an opportunity to move from research to practice, and StudySpot was the result.
John Williams
John Williams joined Steve in 2003 having a similar appreciation of academic success and coaching experience. After playing hockey with Steve at the University of Waterloo, John coached AAA hockey in Toronto for five years. John brought to StudySpot his philosophy and approach to communicating and motivating teenage boys and girls. He adopted a traditional model for athletic success and applied it to academic success, one that focuses on the interplay between natural ability, effort, and skill development.
Our Academic Coaches. Our coaches come from various academic backgrounds and experiences, but share some common qualities. First, our coaches exhibit a love and passion for learning and academics, and have themselves exhibited strong academic histories. Second, our coaches understand that, to facilitate change in others, they must be able to connect with our students and inspire them to want more. To that end, they are personable, authentic, and excellent communicators.
