I estimate I have at least 6000 hours of experience, having been a tutor since 2011. I initially started teaching Maths and Physics to Engineering students at University and I gradually expanded into secondary school level tuition. I have worked full time as a tutor since 2012 and during that time I have taught Maths, Physics, Chemistry and Engineering.
I have taught A Levels, IGCSE/GCSE, IB, Pre-U, AP and I have covered nearly every exam board including Edexcel, OCR, AQA, WJEC. All of my students are seeking to get into top Univeristies.
What makes me a good tutor is my ability to break down a subject and cover it in a particular order so that a student who might not have a good understanding can understand how to progress through the topics. It doesn't hurt that I have a sense of humour and make my lessons actually fun and enjoyable.
Since 2015, I have been tutoring both A-Level and (I)GCSE students across multiple boards of examination. I have helped many individuals achieve their academic goals, with students showing improvements by up to 3 symbols. I began this initiative after achieving my Cambridge International Examination (CIE) A-Levels in mathematics, chemistry and physics with an A and 2 A* grades respectively, averaging 90% overall. I aspire, through tutoring, to help all of my students find enjoyment and inspiration within the fields of science and mathematics.
I have been a tutor in official capacity at the University of Cape Town in both the Mathematics department and the Chemical Engineering department. There are several reasons why i believe I am a great tutor for Spires. Firstly, evaluations given by my students on my tutoring ability have been largely positive in both departments (Mathematics and Chemical Engineering). In the Mathematics department, it is worth stating that good evaluations received are largely a prerequisite to being retained as a tutor every semester and in my case, I have been retained for the past 4 consecutive semesters. Another reason, is that after tutoring sessions, students commend me for a great job and even request private tutorials. Mathematics has always been my best subject and explaining it to people comes naturally.
3+ Years of private tutoring focusing on Matlab and engineering sciences
Tutoring across all years of the Imperial College Undergraduate Mechanical Engineering:
ME2 Thermodynamics - Engine test lab demonstration and coursework marking.
ME3 Thermodynamics and Energy - Tutorials.
ME4 Vehicle Propulsion Technology - Assist in coursework preparation, marking and the supporting tutorials.
I am a chemical engineer who is not only interested in facilitating and smoothing the complex transition between school and university, but in pushing my students to deeply understand how to go about real chemical engineering scenarios through active practise. My willingness to support students' evolution is a priority, and that is why I am also undertaking a postgraduate certificate in higher education and constantly seeking for new learning methods.
5 years experience of tutoring in mathematics, further mathematics and physics at secondary school level.
Almost 10 years of tutoring chemical engineering and bioprocessing modules at the university level
I started teaching as a High School student in San Francisco, tutoring for Bridge the Gap. As part of my role, I tutored students from underprivileged backgrounds between the ages of eight and thirteen in maths, history and English.
During my Bachelor’s in Chemical Engineering, I cultivated my interest in teaching working as a Teacher’s Assistant. As Teacher’s Assistant for Inorganic Chemistry I taught complex concepts like VSEPR theory, MO theory, orbital hybridization, spectroscopy, and electromagnetic radiation. These are concepts that build on secondary school-level chemistry topics and give additional insight into the inner workings of atoms and molecules and their interactions. In this role I learnt to deconstruct dense material into accessible language, tailoring my lessons to my student’s strengths and needs. As a tutor I try to use as many practical examples, exercises, and mnemonic devices as I can to ensure that the information will stick.
As a long-time sailing instructor, I have consistently grown in my teaching methods, thanks to constant supervision from more experienced instructors. I learnt to prepare effective lesson plans including theoretical explanations and practical exercises so students can learn by doing. I concluded each lesson with a quick recap of the material covered to connect theory with practice. I learnt that students can store complex theories in their long-term memory through practice and repetition. Again, I learnt to tailor my lessons according to my student’s varying learning styles. With this strategy I helped many students acquire their sailing diploma’s.
Research Associate/Research Fellow/Lecturer/Senior Lecturer in Civil and Environmental Engineering at Cardiff University since 1999
TEACHING EXPERIENCE AND RESEARCH SUPERVISION
I have had a varied teaching role at all levels. This has encompassed a wide range of activities from lectures to laboratories to practical sessions and personal and project supervision. I have made a substantial contribution to eleven modules, eight in the capacity of module leader.
I have also sought at all stages to utilise my industrial and research experience to enhance my teaching material by the use of case studies and creating collaborative, realistic student projects.
Research Supervision - I have supervised 18 full-time research students, eight to successful completion, ten current, and three postdoctoral researchers. I have also successfully supervised 15 MSc students and 67 undergraduate project students. I have chaired six PhD vivas, and examined one Doctoral thesis as external examiner at Cambridge University, ten Doctoral theses as an internal examiner and have recently had an invite for external examiner from Stuttgart University.
I've been tutoring for almost 5 years. Some of my tutoring experience is highlighted below which includes both private and university teaching.
UG/Masters Teaching (ca. 50-75 students): Reaction Engineering, Thermodynamics, Principles of Chemical Engineering, Mass Transfer, Process Heat Transfer, Energy Futures, Waste Management
Career Mentoring, Applications and Research Planning (ca. 15 students): PhD Students, UG and Masters
Thesis (ca. 10 students): UG, Masters and PhD Students in Chemical/Electrical/Mechanical Engineering, Sustainable Energy Futures and Materials
MSc/Phd Thesis Advisor: EPFL/ Imperial College/ Technical University of Munich