Alan

Hi, I`m Alan and I am a secondary science teacher, with a specialism in Chemistry, at a private school in Surrey. I obtained my PGCE in Science teaching from King`s College, London. Prior to this I completed a PhD in Chemistry at the University of York, from where I also obtained my Masters degree in Chemistry. I am very enthusiastic about my subject and science in general and have a proven track record for helping students achieve success in their GCSEs or A levels, for which I can provide references if desired. I have tutored privately for approximately 10 years, in one-to-one situations as well as in exam revision course workshops with medium- to large-sized groups.

I am also able to offer online tuition via a range of suitable platforms, including Skype, Google Hangouts and Zoom, amongst others. This can be tailored to your needs.

The aim of my sessions is to try and build understanding such that in an exam situation my students will be able to think around unfamiliar problems, using their grounding on the basic principles of the subject. I have found that I have been able to engage and sometimes surprise students with the interesting relevance of Chemistry to our daily lives. Fundamentally Chemistry is often an abstract subject where we try to rationalise the unseen sub-microscopic world of atoms, with `real-world` macroscopic laboratory experiments and observations. The key to this understanding is through the use of representational models, such as diagrams, analogy or discussion. I strongly believe that students need time to discuss and talk through many issues in Chemistry, to enable them to grasp the link between these two `worlds`.

COVID update: please note that due the current COVID-19 situation, I am only performing online tuition.

April 2021 update - please note that I not currently accepting new students for the remainder of the Summer 2021 school term.

Availability: Weekday evenings and weekends.

Willing to travel: 5 miles

Experience: I have previous experience of personal tuition at GCSE and A level standard, as well as teaching experience in primary, secondary and special needs schools. I have also taught at undergraduate and postgraduate level within a university setting.

I currently teach Science with a specialism in Chemistry at an independent co-educational school in Surrey.