A bit about Sam M

I have been a teacher of Science specialising in chemistry for 12 years. I have a track record of excellent GCSE and A-Level results teaching in comprehensive schools in the midlands area. I have also tutored privately in this time and can provide excellent references from both private students and schools. I have worked as a senior leader within schools helping to develop the school and staff in their practice. Outside of teaching I enjoy extreme sports and playing music. I specialise in Chemistry to an A-Level standard but also regularly teach physics to a GCSE level. I have taught and tutored both GCSE and A-Level students. My lessons begin with finding out misconceptions and gaps in knowledge through a variety of methods from a simple chat to a quick fun quiz game. These gaps or misconceptions are then addressed and newly acquired knowledge applied to a new scenario to cement it to long term memory. Where necessary this then leads to exam practice use of this knowledge. I first started tutoring 5 years ago when I dropped down to a part time teacher for a year so I could help with the raising of my newborn. I continued to tutor once going back to full time teaching because of continued demand for my services in the local area and my enjoyment of it. I had already been a teacher for 7 years at this point so the transition was simple. Teaching science allows for deeper understand of the world around us and I love linking the real world to the Science we are learning. Teaching is best achieved when it becomes a 2 way dialogue and linking to the real world achieves this. I enjoy the surprise of young people when they find out new information and gain understanding of how science links to their life. I also take great pride when students achieve what they set out to, whether that be an exam grade, or simply improving their confidence in the subject. Teaching is all about having strong positive relationships so that learners feel confident to give things a go and make mistakes. I focus on this as a concept and then couple this with the use of varied tasks, application of knowledge to new scenarios and targeted intervention for individual needs rather than teaching the same lesson over and over. My favourite thing about being a tutor is taking students who are usually feeling a lack of confidence or disinterest in a subject and turning this around. Usually students come looking for a tutor because they feel they do not understand the subject or their grades are not where they want them to be and I have not had a private tuition student yet that hasn’t improved both grades and confidence and this fills me with great pride. My teaching philosophy is that every student has the capability to achieve and understand science and it is the job of the educator to find the method by which this is possible. Every student learns in a unique way and only through strong positive relationships between learner and educator can the best method for the learner be discovered. Students often make comment on my personalised teaching style tailored to suit each student. Some students need it to be fun, some students prefer a dialogue and others written information and feedback. The main thing students comment is that they feel at ease and comfortable in the lessons which allows positive relationships and therefore the most successful learning. In teaching my greatest achievement is taking a comprehensive school from below average A-Level results to being in the top 5% of results in the country for 3 years straight; facilitating 3 students in that time to reach an oxbridge university. In tutoring it is meeting a year 11, told by her school she wouldn’t be able to A-Level chemistry because of her ability, and transforming her outlook. She achieved a grade 9 in her GCSE, up from a 6, then an A in A-Level and now studies a Chemical engineering at university. BSc Forensic chemistry PGCE in science teaching specialising in chemistry A-level chemistry and biology GCSE’s including Maths and English. I didn’t come from a family of university graduates and my chemistry teacher, Mr Burke, was the first person that made me realise my true potential and the possibility I could go. Once I started my degree I was sure I wanted to achieve the same thing for other young people and so started my journey to becoming a teacher. Outside of teaching I enjoy extreme sports and playing music. I surf, skate and bmx along with mountain biking and snowboarding. I play a variety of instruments mainly the guitar and singing. I play is 2 bands one I have been in since I was 18. I have taught a variety of exam boards at both GCSE and A-Level. I started my career at a school that only taught GCSE and A-Level before two year but since then have taught students from 11-19 every year.