Fes

Having completed both a Post-Graduate degree in Education in Physics & Science, as well as a Mechanical Engineering with Aeronautics degree at Glasgow University, I have recently moved to London where I currently work as a Physics and Science Teacher at an independent school. In addition to my teaching, I work in a promoted capacity as the Head of Scholarships.

With over 8 years of tutoring experience and 7 years of teaching experience, I have always had a passion for the subject and the skills involved. After graduating from Glasgow, I worked as an CAD Engineer before deciding teaching was more for me. I then studied my PGCE in Physics and Science and have been a fully qualified teacher for 6 years.

Discovering that Physics can directly explain the world around us, leading me to study Engineering as my undergraduate degree. Alongside my studies, I set myself up as a tutor to share my own enthusiasm and knowledge with students. Through tutoring I discovered my desire for teaching and as a result decided to pursue a career in education. Doing this since, has given me an in-depth knowledge of the Science and Mathematics curriculums.

I firmly believe that teachers are in the best position to tutor students in a tutoring setting as we work with the curriculum and students the most. Due to my teaching experience, I know the areas that student’s struggle with the most and have different tutoring approaches based on how my students learn.

Tutoring Experience

I have extensive experience in teaching KS3 to A-Level Physics and Maths and in my years of tutoring, I have worked with over 30 students, all of whom have benefited from my lessons and many of whom have moved up in their school target estimations. Using a personable approach, the interests of each specific student as examples to make Physics or Maths more relatable, as well as humour to create a friendly atmosphere, students are more engaged and more willing to learn. I make a strong effort to get to know my students and plan future lessons according to what they are passionate about as well as what they struggle in.

Having developed my own style of teaching throughout the past 7 years and worked with several different departments, I have gathered an array of teaching styles and resources to benefit all types of learners. I make a positive impact on the level of engagement and achievement of my students by differentiating my lessons for the needs of each one. I find that this allows for mutual respect to develop and students learn all the better. Learners who have trouble engaging with the course material or are struggling to understand the key areas grow in confidence and develop a deeper understanding.

I believe that my ability to adapt meets the specific learning requirements of each student. An example of this would be through creating online resources that put the student at the centre of learning and used teaching strategies that allow for the full range of ability and learning styles, taking into account the learning requirements of pupils with additional support needs.

Tutoring Approach

Each lesson involves breaking down the topics into manageable sections, going through the theory with the aid of animations and simulations I have gathered, with questioning throughout to ensure understanding. From here, transitional questions are done and feedback is given and any misconceptions are rectified. Lastly, exam style questions are done so that my students can experience the type of question that can be asked, as well as grow in confidence by knowing they can do this topic in the exam.

I make sure to limit the talking done on my part and instead encourage discussions and answers are given in their own words. Any key words or terms that have appeared in exam marking schemes are shared to ensure their answers benefit from the most amount of marks available.

Throughout the sessions, I will make notes on the particular areas that my student’s struggle with. This allows for targeted revision and preparation for assessments and exams. This process looks at the specific topics and learning criteria each student struggled with in class and smaller tests. I then collate these, along with the type of question they found most difficult and provided further included previous exam questions on those areas. Providing each of these personalised revision packs to previous students has shown to increase marks by whole grades.

With supporting mental health issues, I strongly believe this is an area that can be easily overlooked in young people, which can also cause a detrimental effect on their academic success. Having spent 7 years in education, I have seen this firsthand and have undertaken training to recognise and approach these issues.

As many students struggle with Physics or Maths, to aid in their comprehension requires highly engaging and stimulating lessons, taught by an encouraging and enthusiastic tutor. My passion for teaching motivated me to switch career paths to become a teacher. Having personally experienced the influence that a dedicated and supportive teacher can have upon ones future, I know I could use my passion to make a difference in each of my student’s academic ability.