First Tutors is a service that helps you find a great tutor. Use the Search form below to find a match from thousands of quality tutors. For any support needed or questions, please refer to our Contact Us Page, we are happy to help. If you prefer to speak with an education advisor about a personalised tutor match, please call Varsity Tutors UK at 0203 962 1468, to connect with an education advisor.
If you prefer to speak with an education advisor about a personalised tutor match, please call Varsity Tutors UK at 0203 962 1468, to connect with an education advisor.
David

David

Private Physics and Chemistry Tuition in Oxford

I graduated from University College Dublin in 2011 with a BSc in pure chemistry, then moved to California and completed the equivalent of the PGCE and then a Masters in Education with the University of California, Davis, and then taught chemistry in US public schools in the catchement areas of UCDavis and Stanford, and also in two socio-economically deprived schools, until 2022 (except for one year from 2020-2021 when I taught in a school in London) when I moved to the UK to begin a new degree in a new field.

Tutoring Experience

I taught at a number of state schools, mostly in California but also for a year in London. I have been a full-time teacher of chemistry for 7 years, and spent 2 years in the classroom as a student teacher and/or substitute teacher before that.

During these years I tutored many different students as a part of my regular job. My experience is largely based on the California standards, but having been raised and educated in Ireland, and having taught for a year in London, I am familiar with the structure and expectations of the English curriculum.

Tutoring Approach

Build foundational conceptual understanding first and apply mathematics later; doing the maths first means one can define a process without understanding why it happens, and in my professional view this is the reverse order in which a natural phenomenon should be understood.

With tutoring, I have the student come with specific questions about specific material and then work with them to solve the problems, checking understanding for the underlying concepts before engaging with mathematics; in the first half of any problem-solving talk, it is ideal that the student do the majority of the talking so the tutor can figure out what they know and what they are missing.

LanguagesEnglish (British)
AvailabilityWeekdays (all times)
References Available On File

Qualifications

University College Dublin2011BachelorsBSc Chemistry
University of California, Davis2015ProfessionalCalifornia Teaching Credential
University of California, Davis2017MastersMasters in Education
N/A2020QTSQTS
David
Rating from 2 references
Reliability

Trustworthiness

Professionalism
Subjects taught
50% discount on your first lesson!
Click here for more Chemistry tutors