Andrew

Physics and Chemistry become much easier to work with when the equations have a meaning. I tutor both subjects for QCE, using sketches, estimates and everyday examples alongside calculations. I have a Physics degree from the University of Queensland and a Master of Teaching (Secondary). My online sessions are practical: we spend time doing questions, checking assumptions and talking through the parts that feel uncertain. I enjoy showing that a complicated-looking problem can often be approached by identifying a few simple relationships first. Students are encouraged to pause, sketch what is happening and make a prediction before reaching for the calculator.

Across six years of tutoring, I've helped students with quantitative problems, interpreting experimental data and writing scientific explanations. Some need support with the algebra behind a calculation; others can calculate correctly but struggle to justify the result. I adapt the practice accordingly. I also help students review tests, spot patterns in their mistakes and organise revision into small, specific tasks. This has included working on how to choose useful information from a question, distinguish a measurement from an inference and describe uncertainty sensibly. When a student gets stuck, I ask them to show the last step they felt sure about and we work forward from there. Over time, that gives them a practical way to restart a problem when they are studying independently.