Matthew

I tutor SACE Biology, Psychology and Chemistry with an emphasis on understanding processes and using scientific language accurately. My Biomedical Science degree is from Monash University, and I hold a Graduate Diploma in Education (Secondary). I offer practical online lessons for students who want to make better sense of their notes and apply what they learn. I enjoy helping students see how a small number of well-understood principles can organise a much larger amount of detail. My explanations use concrete examples, with time for students to question the links and try describing them in their own words.

I've helped students describe mechanisms, evaluate research and explain patterns in data. A common starting point is a set of notes that is detailed but difficult to revise from. We organise the material around key questions, test recall and add examples that show when an idea is useful. I have also supported students with assessment preparation and reviewing marked work, paying attention to the difference between naming a concept and explaining its relevance. I have also supported learners who find research-based questions difficult because several pieces of information arrive at once. We separate the aim, the method and the findings before deciding what can reasonably be concluded. In Chemistry and Biology, a similar process helps students connect observations with an underlying mechanism. Short written responses allow us to practise those links and improve the precision of the explanation without making every task a full exam question.