Neil

I have worked in many sectors. These include education, research and development, calibration, testing, certification, systems development, and written and physical standards.
My experience in education has involved working at tutorial colleges and 1-2-1 private tuition. Industry experience includes supervision/training/assessment of apprentices, R&D, technology transfer to the far east, presentations at conferences, generation of procedures and written standards, patent applications, design/construction/validation of hardware and software, and auditing (ISO 9001, GDPR, witnessed staff auditing).
Extra-curricular activities, past and recent, include: Hiking/camping, gardening, marine aquaria, reading, and writing science fiction.
And on a lighter note, I have had dinner with both an astronaut and the chairman of a major Korean corporation.

Tutoring Experience

Relevant experience:

September 2024 – Date:
PGCE Student (FE), UEL, London, UK.

October 1990 – May 1991:
Maths/Physics 1-2-1 Tutor, London, UK.

Sept 1988 – June 1990:

Maths/Physics Tutor, Several Tutorial Colleges, London, UK.

Feb 1987 – August 1987:
Community Development Officer, Open University, Bromley, UK.

Additional experience:

May 1998 – September 2024:
Scientist, National Physical Laboratory, Teddington, UK.

July 1997 – May 1998:
Temporary Scientist, DERA, Farnborough, Hampshire, UK.

May 1991 – February 1997:
Research Engineer, Thorn EMI, Middlesex, UK.

Nov 1987 – August 1988:
Technical Assistant, Rank Brimar, Sidcup, UK.

September 1985:
Labourer, Hermitage Farm, Kent, UK.

Tutoring Approach

With any subject I would strike a balance between the instructor approach and the facilitator approach, with some bias towards the instructor end of the spectrum. This is because maths and physics are more objective subjects than, say, politics or literature.
There would have to be a facilitator approach to some degree. This is especially important when getting students to think about some of the more difficult concepts.
Though, as an online tutor, I would not be doing practical classes, I would advise on things like analysis, health and safety, etc.
I would make the lessons as ‘real world’ based as possible, i.e. what is the relevance of the taught material to the world in which they live. This will help in the learning process by helping to understand basic physical/mathematical principles and will also keep the student engaged. Further to this, I have over 30 years of experience in industry. I believe this can give me an edge over tutors who have only known the education sector.
I would make strong but reasonable use of photographic slides to make the lessons more interesting and instructive. I would also rely as much as possible and reasonable on drawn diagrams.
Using humour, on occasion, would be a way of keeping the student engaged with me, but clearly not to the extent of wasting time and being seen as being a bit ‘silly’.
Occasional essays and other assignments would be a way of getting the students to learn facts, think about concepts, and take responsibility for their learning. I would not set too many of these and let them write them in their own way but would not be strict on deadlines: I will leave it to the student’s discretion to decide whether to do the assignments. They must take responsibility for this themselves.
I would ask questions to the student at regular intervals. Students may be very shy to answer, so I would need to give them confidence in doing so by, for example, not making them feel stupid if their answer is wrong.
In short, my aim is to treat the student as a person like myself, and not as a serf, and show them respect.
Final note: preparation is paramount. NEVER start a lesson thinking you can just take it off the top of your head. Pre-plan the lesion, agree with the student and/or parent what to do in advance, learn the students’ strengths/weaknesses, make sure you know the material and the curriculum, and always value feedback.
Here ends my policy statement.

Neil Lockmuller, BSc, MSc

Note: I am prepared to meet the student in their home or some venue if necessary but principally need to do this online. I do not drive.