David V.

I am a graduate of Durham University with a Masters Degree in Physics and Astronomy. After graduating into a lockdown I began tutoring online full-time, turning my previous sixth form and University side job into full-time self-employment. In one year I taught over 1000 online lessons and was blessed to receive hundreds of positive reviews from satisfied students. In 2021 I began working full-time as an experimental physicist and gained invaluable experience of using and communicating physics in the 'real world' which complimented my part-time tutoring. 

Over time I came to realise that working with students to help them exceed predicted grades and flourish in confidence has been the most fulfilling work I have ever done. So in 2023, I began training as a teacher on the Secondary Physics PGCE Course at Cambridge University under a scholarship from the Institute of Physics. I am now a qualified physics teacher, and now at over 2000 total lessons my students and I have already felt the benefits of my new professional training. I am committed to refining my tutoring to deliver the best quality sessions possible to guide you in your academic success.

I teach the following subjects:

Physics:

-A-level and GCSE across all major exam boards (including the Scottish equivalents)

- Pre-University including interview and PAT preparation. I am also able to offer support for degree-level physics, dependent on the subject and level. 

- If you are lucky enough to be doing an Astronomy GCSE I teach that as well!

Maths: 

-A-level and GCSE across all major exam boards (including the Scottish equivalents)

Further Maths:

- A-level and GCSE across all major exam boards (including the Scottish equivalents)

- Particular focus on mechanics and pure maths. 

Chemistry:

- A-level and GCSE

Biology:

- GCSE

My Experience:

Across thousands of tutoring lessons and months of dedicated teacher training in a range of schools, I have experience working with students of varying backgrounds, ages, confidence, and prior attainment inside the classroom and out. This has given me a great insight into the struggles that today’s pupils face within the education system. It has led me to develop a multitude of teaching techniques to adapt to the specific needs of each pupil and the demands of their particular course. This has helped me understand how different children approach varying topics, and how they may be differently challenged by certain concepts. My teacher training and wealth of practical experience tutoring have equipped me with the skills to help any student improve, whether they struggle with the calculations and equations or all the definitions and conceptual ideas. 

I also have experience and teacher training in managing special educational needs such as Autism and have had many long-term clients with these challenges. I draw on the evidence-based training I have received about these conditions in my PGCE course and seek to understand students on an individual level to get the best out of them. 

 

Conceptual Understanding

I like to help students improve by identifying their comprehension of the fundamental concepts around the subject, and where there might be gaps in their knowledge, I seek to fill those in with a genuine understanding of the key principles and how they relate to each other. I always try to take their understanding beyond bookwork and rote memorisation so a student can come away with a real appreciation for the subject and a good grasp of how different ideas link together, as this is what is so often missed in school education. 

My teacher training has granted me an excellent understanding of the common misconceptions students have around scientific ideas, and I am well-practised at identifying and resolving these fundamental issues which can so often hinder further understanding. In addition, I have gained valuable insight into how children process information in lessons and how they can retain what they have learned long-term. This aspect of my teacher training has been an enormous boon to my students, who now have learned how to learn in a fashion backed by robust psychological research. If you have ever blanked out and forgotten everything you know when faced with a test paper, then this is for you! 

I love to incorporate an interdisciplinary approach to teaching science, so I try to highlight wherever I can the connections between topics in all three sciences and maths. My students and I have found this very beneficial to their overall understanding and enjoyment of the subject, and later on this is crucial for dealing with the trickiest of exam questions. I also endeavour to include the history and stories behind scientific discoveries, as I find this can help with overall engagement and interest, particularly for students who prefer their humanities to science. 

Examination Practice

I feel that the best way to know if a student has really understood a concept is if they can begin applying it to new, unfamiliar situations, beyond the examples they may have already seen in class. This is crucial to the skill of being a good physicist, and consequently to being able to confidently tackle the exam questions. Once the student and I are both satisfied with our conceptual understanding I heartily believe that students should "practise like they'll play" and get comfortable with the content and difficulty of the exam questions they'd be facing on the day. I feel it is invaluable for students to learn by doing by tackling these questions - and I have found that students feel the same way. The best-case scenario which I have achieved with several students is to get them to a level where they can confidently tackle the hardest questions and feel like they know what the examiner is looking for. That way - all being well - the exam might even seem easy! If as a student you have ever felt like you know the subject in the classroom but cannot fathom how to apply it to a confusing exam question, then this is how we resolve it!

In addition to my teaching and tutoring across all major exam boards at A-level and GCSE, I also wrote some of the revision guide material for the Physics and Maths Tutor resource website in 2020. So I am very familiar with the specifics of the courses students are taking. 

Beyond the lessons, I can offer comprehensive support including homework marking, personalised advice, and effective revision strategies for those looking to take things further. Please enquire if you would like this so we can discuss time commitments and fees.