Theo

Tutoring Experience

I have extensive experience tutoring both privately online.

I have taught students from 11+ to 2nd year university level, and everywhere in between, in Maths and Physics. I started tutoring when I was 16 and have therefore developed my teaching skills over the last six years. In the last four months alone, I have taught 13 different students, some only for one-off lessons and others for up to four lessons a week.

I have also been an assistant teacher at the Oxford University Physics Department Summer School, which prepares students entering Year 13 for the Physics university admissions process.

Tutoring Approach

My approach to teaching physics and mathematics is guided by two main principles:

1) Learning through doing – these are subjects that require active practice to hone skills and understanding. I am always trying to engage the student and I avoid a “lecturing” style at all costs!

2) Tailoring the lesson style to the needs of the student. For some students, particularly at university admissions level, I will be looking to stretch you and ask you to search for questions to make you think deeper about the subject. For others, I understand that a more considered approach is needed, particularly since mathematical subjects can often seem daunting. One size definitely does not fit all.

Subject specific information can be found here:

Maths – For younger students (GCSE and earlier) I focus on building understanding of basic principles by trying to bridge the gap between algebraic and geometric manipulations and the more “real-life” topics that students also learn. I think encouraging students to see the subject holistically really builds their confidence and stops maths from seeming an unmanageably vast challenge. For older students I usually employ a more problem-solving driven approach. With most A level students, I believe that the key is deepening their understanding of calculus, because most of the course builds on its ideas. Therefore, unless the student expresses a different preference this is usually where I start. For the MAT and university admissions I encourage students to develop mathematical flair and to construct rigorous mathematical arguments.

Physics – I tend to focus on making sure that students really understand fundamental principles. Physics is at its core a simple subject, that relies on a few basic ideas. I want students to feel comfortable going back to first principles, rather than falling back on rote learning (which is not the way to do physics!). At A Level and below this largely means developing a rigorous understanding of Newton’s laws, kinematical relations and conservation laws. For example, even the usually challenging topic of electricity can be largely understood purely through the conservation of charge and energy. I encourage students to link together the mathematical and qualitative components of their course, and to think of them as a holistic whole. For university students and students seeking university admission, I seek to challenge them as much as possible and to probe their grasp of the subject through problems, “paradoxes” and exposure to new ideas that build on their current knowledge base.