My Teaching Philosophy
Singapore students may wonder why I claimed that O-Level Physics is simple, fun and practical. Here are my reasons:
O-Level Physics is SIMPLE
As it is, Physics is unlike any other learning subjects where you can just learn blindly through pure memorisation. Physics is a CONCEPTUAL subject; and the first hurdle for most students to overcome is to understand well the concepts of the various Physics topics. Application then will come easily.
That is why I favour putting the various simple Physics concepts across to my students to help them learn and understand better. Things don’t have to be more complicated than they really are. Schools are notorious for doing that. (Don’t get me wrong, I am not here to put schools down. I am here to complement schools).
O-Level Physics is FUN
Because when we are having fun, we don’t want to stop doing it. Think about it and reflect back on your lives. The times when you don’t want to stop doing something is when you are really having fun. Be it playing sports, playing computer games, going for holiday travels, etc.
So, in the same sense, if I make the learning of Physics fun and interesting for my students, chances are they’ll want to learn more of the subject. From the many testimonials from parents and students, ‘fun’ is one of the keys to successful learning.
O-Level Physics is PRACTICAL
I am a practical and pragmatic person. When I learn something, I want to know how it can be used in my daily life. I want to know how what I am going to learn is going to benefit me and make my life better. If I am going to learn something but do not know what good it is going to do for me, then it makes no difference to me whether I learned it or not.
Similarly, I believe most students doing Physics today want to know how this subject is used in the real world. However, most of them do not vocalise this inner curiosity. Perhaps it is their fear of being laughed at by their peers who feel that school subjects exist for the sole purpose of making their lives hell because of tests and exams. Or it could be their fear of being ostracised by their teachers who can be quick to brush off such questions with “You will not be tested on such things. Just focus on the Ten-Year Series and my notes.”
After all, most school Physics teachers today barely have any real-life experience with the application of Physics. Most of the practical applications they knew are nothing more than those from the school textbooks. Nothing more than academia stuff. If you don’t believe me, ask how many school Physics teachers if they have ever handled a relay. Or seen a real transformer. Ask them if they have ever installed a pressure gauge.
Look, I am not here to run teachers down. Don’t forget, I WAS a secondary school O-Level Physics teacher myself. But today’s schools are solely focussed on grades. I am NOT saying that getting good grades are not important. They are. The trouble is most of our students (even those who score good grades) are mostly book-smarts. Most don’t know how to apply what they have learned in school in the real world, something which students from the Western world seemed to have an edge over us. That’s why, if you have noticed, most technological breakthroughs and inventions came from the Western world. But all this is slowly changing.
So, to the students of today and tomorrow, I say this. Do well for your Physics and other subjects. Get the good grades. But don’t stop at pure academia. Don’t just be book-smart. Have a mind of curiosity. Find out how you can apply what you have learned in schools into real-life practical situations.
Learning is For Keeps
If you have such an attitude towards learning; that learning is for keeps, that learning can be simple, that it can be fun, and that it has real-life practical uses, then I am sure that wherever you go in life itself, you’ll never ever want to stop learning.
By adopting this teaching philosophy and applying proven method of teaching, every 2 out 3 of my students achieve a distinction for their O-Level paper every year. Not only they do well in the physics exams, but they have a passion for learning in general and physics in particular.
If you agree with my teaching and learning philosophy; if you agree that although getting good grades is important but true learning is for keeps and goes beyond pure academia and book-smart; if you feel you would like to have such a Physics tutor to help you better understand the subject of Physics and do well in it, don’t hesitate to give me a call today for a FREE phone consultation.
O-Level Physics is SIMPLE
As it is, Physics is unlike any other learning subjects where you can just learn blindly through pure memorisation. Physics is a CONCEPTUAL subject; and the first hurdle for most students to overcome is to understand well the concepts of the various Physics topics. Application then will come easily.
That is why I favour putting the various simple Physics concepts across to my students to help them learn and understand better. Things don’t have to be more complicated than they really are. Schools are notorious for doing that. (Don’t get me wrong, I am not here to put schools down. I am here to complement schools).
O-Level Physics is FUN
Because when we are having fun, we don’t want to stop doing it. Think about it and reflect back on your lives. The times when you don’t want to stop doing something is when you are really having fun. Be it playing sports, playing computer games, going for holiday travels, etc.
So, in the same sense, if I make the learning of Physics fun and interesting for my students, chances are they’ll want to learn more of the subject. From the many testimonials from parents and students, ‘fun’ is one of the keys to successful learning.
O-Level Physics is PRACTICAL
I am a practical and pragmatic person. When I learn something, I want to know how it can be used in my daily life. I want to know how what I am going to learn is going to benefit me and make my life better. If I am going to learn something but do not know what good it is going to do for me, then it makes no difference to me whether I learned it or not.
Similarly, I believe most students doing Physics today want to know how this subject is used in the real world. However, most of them do not vocalise this inner curiosity. Perhaps it is their fear of being laughed at by their peers who feel that school subjects exist for the sole purpose of making their lives hell because of tests and exams. Or it could be their fear of being ostracised by their teachers who can be quick to brush off such questions with “You will not be tested on such things. Just focus on the Ten-Year Series and my notes.”
After all, most school Physics teachers today barely have any real-life experience with the application of Physics. Most of the practical applications they knew are nothing more than those from the school textbooks. Nothing more than academia stuff. If you don’t believe me, ask how many school Physics teachers if they have ever handled a relay. Or seen a real transformer. Ask them if they have ever installed a pressure gauge.
Look, I am not here to run teachers down. Don’t forget, I WAS a secondary school O-Level Physics teacher myself. But today’s schools are solely focussed on grades. I am NOT saying that getting good grades are not important. They are. The trouble is most of our students (even those who score good grades) are mostly book-smarts. Most don’t know how to apply what they have learned in school in the real world, something which students from the Western world seemed to have an edge over us. That’s why, if you have noticed, most technological breakthroughs and inventions came from the Western world. But all this is slowly changing.
So, to the students of today and tomorrow, I say this. Do well for your Physics and other subjects. Get the good grades. But don’t stop at pure academia. Don’t just be book-smart. Have a mind of curiosity. Find out how you can apply what you have learned in schools into real-life practical situations.
Learning is For Keeps
If you have such an attitude towards learning; that learning is for keeps, that learning can be simple, that it can be fun, and that it has real-life practical uses, then I am sure that wherever you go in life itself, you’ll never ever want to stop learning.
By adopting this teaching philosophy and applying proven method of teaching, every 2 out 3 of my students achieve a distinction for their O-Level paper every year. Not only they do well in the physics exams, but they have a passion for learning in general and physics in particular.
If you agree with my teaching and learning philosophy; if you agree that although getting good grades is important but true learning is for keeps and goes beyond pure academia and book-smart; if you feel you would like to have such a Physics tutor to help you better understand the subject of Physics and do well in it, don’t hesitate to give me a call today for a FREE phone consultation.