Rebecca

My teaching and tutoring ethos centres around tailoring my lessons to suit individual learners. I aim to do this by working with the learner to identify areas in which they feel they require help and working towards realistic goals so that they feel they have achieved real progress. I am particularly passionate about the importance of contextualising concepts in chemistry. From experience, I have noticed that traditional teaching often lacks this, and a lot of students lose enthusiasm because they cannot see a connection between what they are learning, why it is important and how it relates to the `real world`. I believe that engagement with the subject material is crucial for students to attain a deeper understanding and long-term retention of the subject matter.

Additionally I believe strongly in highlighting the links between the three sciences, for instance, the connection between electrostatic forces (in physics) and the reactivity of elements and compounds (in chemistry) in order to establish an appreciation of how the sciences are interlinked.

I also place a large emphasis in my practice on exam technique and improving literacy in my students. For example, by improving students` understanding of command words in exam questions and the use of appropriate terminology in answering these questions. Consequently, I use exam questions commonly as an assessment method so that students can apply their knowledge and also get to grips with the process of answering exam questions and what examiners` are `looking for` in a model answer.

Availability: Fridays and weekends.

Willing to travel: 20 miles

Experience: I am a qualified science teacher (chemistry specialism) with 10+ years teaching and tutoring experience in A level chemistry and GCSE science.

I have worked in a number of different schools and have experience working with EAL and SEND students, as well as with students that have a vast range in ability and attainment.

I currently work in a sixth form college and teach A level chemistry, GCSE combined science and applied science. I started working at the college in the 24/25 academic year. The results for A level chemistry this year have shown the biggest percentage increase in A*-C grades across all A level subjects at the college. This has been a massive achievement for me (and for them)!

In addition, I also tutor students privately in GCSE science and A level chemistry. My longest standing student recently sat her GCSE in chemistry. Her subject knowledge and literacy in science markedly improved during the course of her tuition. As an example, she went from achieving 19% in a test on chemistry calculations in class (a 3 on the 9-1 scale), to 70% (an 8 on the 3-1 scale) when she retook the exam after our tuition. She recently received her GCSE results, and achieved an 8 in chemistry. My other students have also made similar progress and it has been a pleasure to help them reach their potential.

In terms of my own academic achievements, I have a distinction level Master`s degree in forensic science, which primarily focused on forensic chemistry. Prior to that, I achieved a 1st class degree in chemistry from the University of Sheffield.

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