Andreas

I am Head of Department of Philosophy, Ethics and Religious Studies at an independent school in Norwich. Originally I am from Germany, completed my education there with a good honours degree in Theology and Philosophy at Frankfurt University and conducted further studies at Tübingen and Münster universities. I am a Farmington Fellow at Harris Manchester College, Oxford. I am 60 years old and have a family with 4 adult children. My hobbies include playing the cello, cycling and rowing and of course reading. We moved to England in 1995 where I became a teacher.

Tutoring Experience

I started teaching in Germany. This included teaching children and adults in and out of school.
In 1996 I completed my PGCE and gained my QTS (qualified teacher status) at the University of East Anglia. I taught at Wymondham College, Notre Dame High School and became the Head of Philosophy and Religion at Norwich High School in 2001 where I currently teach. During this time I assisted students outside school with extra tuition to help them with their A levels. All of them did very well in their exams (A*-A 95%; A*-B 100%). I am also an experienced examiner for Religious Studies, Philosophy and Critical Thinking and am very familiar with the expectations of the OCR, AQA and Eduqas examination boards.

Tutoring Approach

My approach to tutoring is conversational. In these conversations I aim to explore the needs of my students, the subject and it's requirements. Philosophy, Critical Thinking, Religious and Ethical Studies are subjects that are best taught through discussions. So, I involve my students in discussions that will cover the area and subtleties of the subjects. You can compare this style with Socrates' questioning technique that leads the participants of the discussion to the very core of the topic. All participants are engaged in an active thinking process. Of course there is also much information to be passed on. So there is some lectureing in my lessons and I expect my students to do some reading and writing as part of their homework.