A bit about Andrea C

I am a Secondary Science teacher with a specialism in Physics. I did my Master's Degree in Astrophysics at the University of Leeds and was a lab demonstrator for 1st Year Physics Students at the University of Nottingham where I had to assist and assess student as part of their lab module. This experience as a demonstrator is what prompted me to eventually become a teacher as I really enjoyed the interactions with the students and their enthusiasm for Physics. I decided to complete a PGCE through the SCITT pathway and become a Qualified Teacher. Fast forward five years, I currently hold the position of Assistant Director of Teaching and Learning for Science in my current school, where I teach Science at KS3 and Physics at GCSE and A-Level. As part of my role I am focusing on two "projects", one that focuses on how to easily introduce and teach "Maths-In-Physics" and another that focuses on teaching to disadvantaged students, where I put a lot of emphasis on the nurturing aspect of teaching. I am also supporting two Early Career Teachers through their journey to becoming experienced teachers, which I love, because I am learning new strategies and approaches to teaching. Although I teach the entire Science curriculum at KS3 and some Biology at KS4, I specialise in Physics at GCSE and A-Level. Due to my degree and the science I teach, I also have good mathematical knowledge. I usually like to start lessons with 4 "Retrieval" questions: one on an old topic, one on a recent topic and two from the previous lesson. This allows me to assess what the students need to work on and clarify any misconceptions or answer questions. During the main, I usually introduce a new topic and use low stakes quizzes to check knowledge once or twice and give students work to complete. I finish the lesson with either exam questions or a plenary to consolidate learning. I started tutoring during the first COVID lockdown. A neighbor knew I was a teacher and asked me to support their child during the lockdowns with Science at KS3. Physics IS the world around us. Everything around us, does not matter how bizarre or weird, can be explained with Physics. I love it when it "clicks" and students realize that what they have just learned is linked to things they have experienced in the past and how it all makes sense to them. I classify my teaching as "Demonstrator/Coach Style". I usually give students the knowledge they need and then give activities to apply their knowledge. I put a lot of emphasis on nurture in my lessons, especially when it comes to disadvantaged students. When it comes to GCSE and A-Level I like to focus on exam skills and questions, so most of my activities are based around exam preparation. I like the 1-on-1 aspect of tutoring, as I can give my full attention to a student and their progress. Being a more private setting, this also allows students to be more at ease and ask more questions, promoting learning. Teaching is like parenting, but focused on learning: we teachers should model what a successful learner should look like, promoting our love for learning new things and be open-minded to new ideas and allowing students to explore and mature their interests. When it comes to Physics, I put a lot of emphasis on writing: although Physics is a maths-based science, definitions and terminology are extremely important. My students tell me they love that I use scientific terminology and speak as a scientist as it models what their answers should be like. At GCSE I am proud of the work I am doing with my disadvantaged students, whereby I am taking a "nurturing" approach to teaching. The students have told me they enjoy science more because they have a chance to understand it. At A-Level, one of my students was accepted into Cambridge to complete the Natural Science degree and one of my current students is awaiting a response from Cambridge after being interviewed. I got my Master's Degree in Physics with Astronomy from Leeds University in 2014. In 2018 I started my School Centered Initial Training within a School Academy and also completed a PGCE. During my last year of university I was a lab demonstrator for Year 1 University students. My job was to help students during experiments and assess them at the end to test their understanding of the background Physics. I fell in love with the role and it prompted me to pursue a teaching career. I love music and I play the bass and the drums. I love the outdoors, hiking and camping and I am lucky I live in the East Midlands, which has access to a lot of beautiful places. I am also a collector of Board Games and once a month host a board games session at my house. I teach Edexcel Physics at GCSE (moving to AQA next academic year) and AQA for A-Level Physics. I teach students from 11 to 18 years.