A bit about David H

I teach A level computer science part time at a local sixth form college. My main experience is with the OCR exam board for both GCSE and A level, but I currently teach WJEC/EDUQAS A level in the college. With more than twenty years experience teaching in schools, I am able to assess ability and stage very quickly. My main area of expertise is A level and GCSE computer science, and lately I have branched out into tutoring A level and GCSE geology. I focus on how to answer questions and exam technique as well as ensuring the student's grasp of the theory is sound. In addition, I teach the Python programming language, using SQLite and data classes for the A2 project The materials used in the lessons have been developed over a twenty year teaching career and have been tried and tested in a variety of different environments. Where a concept is being explained, such as binary, hexadecimal, packet switching, recursion, trees, CPU etc, a whiteboard and pen (now a tablet) is used. If the lesson is about something more knowledge-based, such as input or output devices, then there is more reliance on a pre-existing presentation such as a powerpoint. Once the main topic of the lesson has been completed, we (me and the student) will complete a series of questions together I have been tutoring for the past two years, ever since I stepped down from teaching full time as the subject leader of the computing department in a large school in Cheshire. I have combined tutoring with part time teaching in a large local sixth form college where I teach the WJEC/EDUQAS exam board Programming a computer is a fascinating and worthwhile activity in itself, and the maths and logic associated with computing are tremendously interesting. I derive great satisfaction in helping students to demystify much of the jargon surrounding computer science and become confident coders and problem solvers. For GCSE and A level, a significant focus of lessons is exam technique and the use of correct terminology in answering the questions. Without the ability to express themselves clearly and succinctly, it's practically impossible for any student to demonstrate to an examiner that they've got a thorough grasp of the problem which has been set. For GCSE and A level, a significant focus of lessons is exam technique and the use of correct terminology in answering the questions. Without the ability to express themselves clearly and succinctly, it's practically impossible for any student to demonstrate to an examiner that they've got a thorough grasp of the problem which has been set. I currently teach WJEC/EDUQAS A level computer science at a local sixth form college, but my main experience (over twenty years) is with the OCR exam board for both GCSE and A level. I have also done coursework marking for AQA A level (for a another local sixth form college). As a school teacher, I taught computer science to large KS3 classes. I was originally trained (degree and PhD) as a geologist before becoming a computer science teacher and I still retain an enthusiasm for the subject. I sing baritone in local male voice choir, I write fiction as a hobby and while walking and looking at the geology I go fly fishing. Apart from that, I do my best to keep my family happy. I have a degree and PhD in geology, which meant I went to work in gold mining! As a geologist and then in the oil industry. This is where I first became interested in computing, in the first instance because it was necessary and then I caught the bug! I went on to do a graduate diploma in computer science at the OU and I've done many different course since, including CS50 from Harvard University (not finished). Having been a teacher for over twenty years, I found that the gretest barrier to learning was weight of numbers (36 in a class of year 9s) plus all the other stuff that was lumped ontop, such as a tutor group, plus all the administration associated with being a head of department (extremely weighty). Quite often, there are huge barriers in the way of a teacher, driven by people who rarely teach. So its nice just to teach without the barriers, and focus on a single student I have different approaches based on the student. Mostly students love the laser focus on exam questions so they can see they are making progress. Once a level for a student has been established, the lesson is broken into stages: A starter that consolidates previous learning, a main part which goes through the main topic and a final section about problem solving. Most of my A level students have gone on to do computer science at university. However, I have taken greatest satisfaction from getting students who are maybe not so gifted in computer science and programming and ensure they achieve well above what they might have achieved had they not had me as a teacher. As a school teacher, my students at GCSE and A level routinely achieved at least a grade higher than was average across the country. After twenty years of teaching, it's hard to remember what the original motivation might have been. There was no light bulb moment which said I needed to change what I was doing at the time (oil industry), but it seemed to be the right thing to do when the opportunity arose. Having said that, it is not a decision which I have ever regretted.