London Science Tutors

Why is Science important?

• By London Science Tutors
• 11 September, 2013
• Comments Off on Why is Science important?

In this article Deep Lidder, Director of London Science Tutors, discusses why he believes that the study of Science is important to society.

As you may gather from the leading title of this post, I do believe that Science is very important. I am passionate about my subject, and believe deeply that we should actively encourage its study – especially amongst school students.

Science is the study of Nature. Fuelled by our insatiable curiosity, it is the quest for a deeper understanding of the world around us. Why things are. How things are. What things are.

The most important reason that I can think of for the importance of Science is its ability to increase our confidence as human beings and reduce our fear of the unknown. Whereas in the past humans have relied wholly on the fickle nature of fate and chance, Science has allowed us to understand how aspects of Nature work and to use that to our advantage. The advancement of scientific understanding is an incredible human achievement and allow us to live confidently in our environment; that should we fall ill, there are medicines that can help us; that should we enter into danger, we have methods to call for help; that should we build a structure, it will stand.

Obviously Science doesn’t solve all of the problems we have, and it can be used for the bad as well the good; take for example the issues of industrial pollution or chemical warfare. However, I believe that it is through the study and developments of Science that we will make great advancements to solve some of the more pressing problems we are currently facing such as climate change, food security, and energy management.

The scientific method of hypothesis, experimentation and evaluation is a rigorous and successful framework for investigating the world around us. It is the most powerful method we have for investigating and answering the big questions we have about the world. Science is (ideally) open-source – experiments can be verified, replicated; observations repeated and confirmed – increasing our confidence in the validity of our knowledge.

Many believe that funding for pure scientific research, such as at CERN or space exploration, is wasteful when we have pressing human problems on Earth. However, I would argue that any study that furthers the realms of human understanding is a highly worthy endeavour. There is often no clear view of the implications of research. The internet was born out of a network at CERN to share the results of scientific research. Nobody could have foreseen the huge impact of its subsequent development.

Given what I have said above, I believe that high quality Science education is absolutely crucial and anything less is robbing our students of an opportunity they deserve. Good teaching of this discipline inspires and enthuses students. It allows an appreciation for the nature of knowledge and enquiry; about what can be known as well as the power of the human mind to imagine, develop and further human understanding. It is incredibly liberating for us as humans to realise that they are not limited by fate or circumstance; that steps can be taken to steer developments and the course of humanity.

A further point I will add is that the study of Nature is incredibly academically satisfying. Nature is awe-inspiring in its beauty and paradoxical complexity and simplicity. What could be a worthier subject of study?

I am by no means detracting from the study of other disciplines – I am also a great advocate of the Arts in understanding and sharing human experience. However, I feel from my conversations with current students that many are done a great disservice in terms of poor Science teaching.

I believe that many of the problems that we currently face – and we are currently faced with many challenges – will be solved only through the hard work and research of scientists.

And it is for the above reasons that I believe the study of Science is vitally important to society.

Finding a Tutor in London

• By London Science Tutors
• 27 August, 2013
• Comments Off on Finding a Tutor in London

The following article was originally written for “Tutor Pages”.

In this article Deep Lidder, Director of London Science Tutors, discusses the qualities to look for when choosing a Physics or Chemistry tutor for your child.

Many parents I have spoken with have expressed the difficulties they have experienced in trying to find a tutor to support their child’s Chemistry, Biology, Maths or Physics education. Having spent so much time, money and effort at getting to this level, parents understandably want to ensure that their child performs to the best of their abilities to ensure that they secure the required grades to go on to study their desired subject at University.

Both subjects require a thorough understanding and comfort with fundamental laws and scientific concepts. Learning and teaching these subjects is difficult and requires time, effort and experience. All tutors have different teaching styles, approaches and techniques. It is therefore well worth taking the time to ensure that the tutor you choose is a good fit for your child. I would highly encourage you to have a trial teaching session before committing to a tutor.

Prepare some questions for the tutor prior to the initial session to ensure that they are able to fully address your concerns and meet your objectives and targets. You may want to ask about their familiarity with the syllabus, as well as their previous tutoring experience.

It is important to communicate your expectations and requirements of tutoring, as everybody has their individual reasons. Some students are looking for a complement and alternative perspective to their classroom learning. Others require some additional support in areas, especially if they do not respond well to their teacher’s classroom teaching style. Other students are looking to be stretched beyond the confines of the syllabus. Identifying a clear reason why you are choosing a tutor will allow you to select somebody who understands and can meet your needs. It will also allow you to more effectively track progress towards your tutoring objectives.

I believe that it is the tutors job to develop an appropriate and workable strategy of manageable and realistic targets to cover the content effectively. I always work with my students and their parents to develop a detailed tutoring plan based on their requirements and objectives. This allows for material to be adequately covered prior to exams, as well as complementing content covered at school. Closer to the exams, a revision schedule of review and past exam questions is developed to ensure confidence with material and technique before going into an exam.

A good tutor will be able to cover more material effectively and in an understandable way suited to the student. They will ensure an active line of communication and feedback with both the parents and the student.

There are a multitude of benefits of a strong scientific education. Tutoring is a highly valuable experience for a student, allowing for a deeper level of understanding for the subject to be developed. Physics, Biology, Maths and Chemistry are all incredibly satisfying subjects to study and immensely enjoyable. Good teaching improves self-confidence and ensures that your child goes into the exam feeling as comfortable as possible, setting them up for the best chance of future success.

Deep Lidder is Director of London Science Tutors, providers of teaching and tutoring in Chemistry, Physics, Biology and Maths.

Welcome to LST’s Science Blog

• By London Science Tutors
• 14 August, 2013
• Comments Off on Welcome to LST’s Science Blog

Welcome to the LST Science Blog! Here our science writers will post short articles on topics that are interesting and relevant to students studying science from GCSE up to undergraduate. Some of the posts will be written by our tutors, some by experts in education and science. We hope to bring you plenty of tips on exam and revision techniques as well as prepare short guides into topics such as University applications, interviews and career choices.

We hope you will enjoy our articles.

LST Team