Teaching Approach
A-level Biology exam questions test understanding and application more than factual recall.
For this reason, many students find it a big change from what they were comfortable with at GCSE. Students need to understand why and how a biological process is occurring, rather than trying to rote-learn the steps.
My approach:
After a full explanation of the concepts underpinning a topic, I go through a selection of past paper questions. We explore what the question is really about, how it relates to the theory, and how to phrase the answer for full credit .
I emphasise links to other parts of the specification and encourage students to think synoptically and apply their knowledge to explaining data.
I ensure every student is really thinking about the content by asking questions and using interactive tools. They practice writing answers to exam questions in every lesson.
My classes are challenging, but the students see the benefits and are highly motivated by their learning success.
I stay up to date with cognitive science and learning research. I continually adapt my practice to integrate well-evidenced techniques. I have found that even small changes can make a big difference for individual students.
Many tutors have limited experience of teaching at this level, either because most of their teaching time is dedicated to GCSE, because they teach multiple subjects, or because they are relatively new to the profession.
“Tom helped me so much when it came to understanding the true depth to biology as a subject. He is a very supportive and kind teacher who helped me to not only gain knowledge , but also enjoy studying biology.”
Learning Online
My lessons are run through Zoom, a highly reliable platform that allows me to annotate notes, past papers, and PowerPoints. It is an extremely effective tutoring tool.
Students can attend from anywhere, and I have instant access to my large collection of exam questions, markschemes, and teaching resources.
All tutorials are recorded and the video is shared with the student - this is extremely useful for recapping.
Better access to resources
There is no leaning over each others shoulders or looking sideways at diagrams; everything is displayed clearly on screen.
Exam questions, mark shemes and other resources are just a click away - no matter what unexpected questions a student might have.
I create an online repository of resources for each student. These include annotated resources from lessons and lesson videos as well as additional resources for use at home to use in preparation for lessons and/or for use in future revision.
Lesson Recordings
Learning takes time and repetition. Online lessons can be recorded and made available for later use. My students have used our recordings for making notes (so they can concentrate more during the lesson), to recap lessons (pausing the video as necessary), and for later revision.
Group Lesson participants asked for recordings too. These are now available for anyone to use through my video streaming service.
Better Concentration
Online tuition avoids many of the issues that can provoke social anxiety and other distractions. The student is comfortable in their own space and does not have to move around or process as many social signals. This gives them more capacity to focus on the topic.
Convenience
The lesson starts at the start time. It ends at the end time. There is no need to travel to another location, or to spend time getting settled down at a desk together and laying out materials.
Students have attended my lessons from yachts, ski resorts, and during unexpected international trips. There is no disruption to the lessons - so long as the student has an adequate internet connection, the lesson goes ahead as usual. And of course they can also access their online repository of revision materials from anywhere in the world.
Group interaction
The tools I use for group lessons allow students to answer questions using text or drawings, which I can check and respond to individually without having to move around the room or share the work with the whole group. All-group answers to multiple choice quizes or other questions can be shared anonymously.
I encourage questions during lessons, which can be submitted by chat if a student prefers this to speaking in front of the group.
Some of these tools have proved so useful that I introduced their use into my in-person college classroom.