Herbie

I am studying Natural Sciences (Physical) at Cambridge University (Churchill College). I have had a strong passion for the physical sciences and maths that isn't just constrained to Physics and Chemistry but includes Materials science - my EPQ was on environmental concrete and my first year university modules were Physics, Chemistry, Materials Science and Maths. And I plan on specialising in Physics going forward.

My enthusiasm for science really kicked off when I was 13. I became fascinated with parasites and the diseases the can inflict. Over time my main interest shifted from Biology to Chemistry when I began teaching myself parts of molecular orbital theory. Eventually I settled on the physical sciences - what I enjoy especially about Physics is how much information can be found just with an understanding of Mathematics combined with some fundamental principals of Physics. This idea of returning to fundamental principles is one I hope to get across to my students because then you're starting to think more like a scientist and will begin to rely less on rote learning.

As someone who has recently finished school I know the areas students typically struggle with most in regards to Chemistry, Physics, Maths (and Further Maths for A Level). I hope that I'm able to make the content more intuitive for those struggling. For those who want a slightly deeper understanding of what they are learning I'm more than happy to go slightly beyond the syllabus to answer their questions. I find helping people very rewarding - everyone is capable of learning just some explanations/teaching methods work better than others for different individuals.

As someone who has been through an admissions assessment and interview to get my Cambridge offer I'm also able to offer tips for these if you desire.

Tutoring Experience

By the beginning of year 13 I had self-taught myself the calculus from A Level Maths and Further Maths giving me time to help a peer who was struggling with parts of integral calculus, I helped by providing methods and tips for different problems. Most recently I informally tutored a student on academic intermission in vector calculus to help them prepare for the academic year. I received positive feedback from both of them.

Tutoring Approach

My goal is to help the students develop (a) a deeper understanding of the material and (b) a more sophisticated way to tackle problems which comes with practice. Every student learns differently and how I structure the lesson depends on what you want, if it's more of a large overview I may start with a question such as: "tell me what you can about ___" to get an idea of what you already know and/or what misconceptions you may have. If you want tutoring in a more 'hands-on' subject such as maths then I may start off with a exam question to see how you approach it and from there I can see what you do right and what can be done more efficiently.

I am of the belief that to gain a deep understanding of what you've been taught you should be able to reason through the steps you've taken to reach an answer or for maths being able to derive the formula or expression. Therefore I believe it's meaningful to gently challenge the student to see how much they truly know - often this may require looking at first principals and building upon that.

If I have done my job correctly, the student should be more confident going into an exam as they'd have a greater grasp of the content. Confidence going into the exam is crucial for success!