So I've been set up as a chemistry tutor for a mature aged student studying 1st year introductory chemistry. I am super stoked about this... only job
I have ever even remotely cared about...
Any advice from those that teach?
Put this in detritus if need be. Just wanted to share!j_sum1 - 25-3-2019 at 21:04
Teaching is an art. Ultimately it is a personal endeavour. You can present stuff but nothing goes in unless the student makes a connection of some
sort with you. This is why online material will never replace actual teachers.
You are at an advantage if you have never taught before. This is because, first and foremost in your mind are questions like, what is the logical
order to present this? How can I explain/ demonstrate this best? What do these students already know, What head process will they go through to get
from where they are now to reach a position of understanding?
It is easy for established teachers to follow what has worked in the past and not engage with these questions. That negates a lot of what they do.
Have fun.
One on one can be tricky. Think ahead of time what questions you might ask (and how you might ask them) to open up discussion and get the student
engaging with the material. Bring food. (or beer.)WangleSpong5000 - 26-3-2019 at 00:40
Thanks for the reply. Your advice will help me a lot, I could see that the moment I read it! Most appreciated MrHomeScientist - 26-3-2019 at 05:33
I've tutored chemistry twice now so I have a small amount of experience, but they never called me back after the session so either I did great and
they didn't need me anymore or.....
I like to include fun facts or even demos to help keep them interested. Like if tungsten comes up in a question I'll talk about how it's used and
bring in a sample for them to feel the weight. Helps keep them engaged and connects the material to the real world, I think. Thermite also makes for a
spectacular demonstration of an exothermic single replacement reaction.Corrosive Joeseph - 26-3-2019 at 06:03
I have posted about this dude before.............. Best chemistry teacher.......... Ever
True, he is amazing.
But to be honest, everything you can find on YT by the Royal Institution is worth gold.diddi - 26-3-2019 at 18:38
i am ex chem teacher. i still do tutoring and like hands on things to try to improve students understanding.
i am sure that you can ask at this thread for ideas to convey a particular idea if you cannot seem to find something that works.
one of the arts of teaching is being able to express something in a way that the student can form links to their current knowledge/experience base.
sometimes that means one has to be able to explain the same concept many different ways.
