Tutoring for success
Effective strategies for getting the grades in Physics and Maths
Tutoring for success
Effective strategies for getting the grades in Physics and Maths
About Me
Teaching Experience
Teaching Experience
Teaching Experience
Peter Symonds College
St Swithuns
Oxford Tutorial College
First Tutors
Tutorhunt
Experience
Tutored privately over 300 students since 2011 and at Oxford Tutorial College, Oxford International College and Oxford Science Studies
Taught A level at Peter Symonds College, Winchester 2002-2010 and St Swithuns school, Winchester 2013-14
Other wor
Peter Symonds College
St Swithuns
Oxford Tutorial College
First Tutors
Tutorhunt
Experience
Tutored privately over 300 students since 2011 and at Oxford Tutorial College, Oxford International College and Oxford Science Studies
Taught A level at Peter Symonds College, Winchester 2002-2010 and St Swithuns school, Winchester 2013-14
Other work experience
Officer Royal Navy, Instructor branch
Field Engineer on Seismic Exploration Crews, Brunei, Egypt, Mexico, Libya
Watersports instructor Turkey, Corsica, Datchet
Teaching Approach
Teaching Experience
Teaching Experience
Tutoring Maths and tutoring Physics call for rather different approaches, as do tutoring for GCSE and tutoring for A level and University, but in all cases the approach is to work with the student to identify what their needs are in relation to the subject and then to address those.
For some students who may have struggled up till now, a
Tutoring Maths and tutoring Physics call for rather different approaches, as do tutoring for GCSE and tutoring for A level and University, but in all cases the approach is to work with the student to identify what their needs are in relation to the subject and then to address those.
For some students who may have struggled up till now, a lot of the time the first need is to gain confidence and begin to see that these are subjects that
a) make sense and
b) they can do.
Often this is achieved by being helped to 'see through' the unfamiliar terms used to recognise that what is being talked about is actually something familiar and sometimes even commonplace.
For other, advanced students who have been doing well but want to 'guarantee' an A/A*, it's more often just concise explanations of whatever key ideas have not been clear till now and coaching on giving good exam answers that are needed.
Younger students often need lots of encouragement and help to achieve some early successes in the subject which leads to increased motivation and means students tend to believe more in themselves in the subject, trying harder than they would otherwise do to solve problems (increasing what psychologists call their 'self-efficacy' in the subject).
Applicable in all these cases is the idea that above all these subjects are principally about what you can DO, not what you know and as in learning how to do anything, there's no substitute for being shown how to do it and then doing it a few times for it to start to become easy.
The main point though is that what is appropriate will depend on you and your particular needs.
Education
Teaching Experience
Education
MSc Astrophysics Queen Mary University, London 2012
PGCE (post 16) Greenwich University 2005
MA (Cantab) Physics and Theoretical Physics (Natural Sciences Tripos) Selwyn College, Cambridge
Feedback
Feedback from students posted through the First Tutors website
Iris Excellent and very experienced tutor who knows precisely what is needed to succeed.Would recommend Jim without hesitation.
Nazeer Highly recommend ! Excellent tutor.
Sandra Jim is an excellent tutor who has been able to unlock the mysteries of physics for Raoul. He is always well prepared and keeps pushing Raoul to answer the most difficult questions on each topic. He is very patient and his ability to explain the difficult concepts in simple terms is skill few physics tutors have. Thank you.
Andrea Max is finding his sessions with you very useful indeed.
James Top Tutor, making a read difference for our son.
Ruth Thank you for your help and encouragement
Clara Jim is a great tutor. Very friendly and encouraging whilst most importantly giving clear and frank explinations. I really enjoyed our sessions together and feel i have improved significantly. I really appreciated all his advice and support.Thanks Jim! Clara
Jancke Excellent at explaining concepts and lets you practice the questions so you really solidify your understanding
Oliver Great tutor A real confidence boost for my son ahead of a big exam, thank you.
Jonathan My son has had two sessions with Jim and all seems to have gone well. Jim has made things which seemed difficult seem a bit easier… which is exactly what we were hoping for !
ROB My daughter is working with Jim to help consolidate some A-Level Physics knowledge. So far, he's been very helpful; clear, concise and she's very happy working with him.
David Sacha really appreciated her first tutorial
William working with Jim has improved my son's confidence in maths.Rather than dictating what topics they would cover,Jim encouraged him to practice questions at home and bring these back to direct the learning.This meant my son had to be much more engaged in the learning process which I think helped him.He found Jim's explanations very clear and easy to understand.
Adam very happy with service received - exactly what was neededFROM VICTORIA Jim has been helping me work towards my Maths OCR A Level due for examination summer 2019. Jim is an amazing tutor, he is totally understanding and I am never afraid to tell him when I don't understand things.He manages to explain difficult concepts very clearly, shows me what I really need to know and we have plenty of time in our sessions to work through exam questions.
I highly recommend Jim. Thank you. amie
Mike Jim is an excellent tutor. He engaged quickly with my son and was really helpful in helping him understand the topics that were causing difficulty.
MARK FROM HONOR FROM PAOLA After her first tutorial with Jim, it was clear to my daughter that he was going to make a measurable difference to her understanding of the Physics A Level syllabus. Jim is very good at explaining difficult concepts and has a no nonsense but sympathetic approach to teaching. I look forward to seeing my daughter's confidence improve with each passing week.
Nazli He is very experienced,professional and knowledgeable. Explain everything very well
I would recommend him to anyone as I plan on continuing sessions with him.
Ken Jim, the tuition you have provided Emma leading up to her A-Level Maths exams has at times given her a different way at looking at problems a solutions and given her much greater confindence in the subject matter. As a result Emma was able to improve her AS modules by two grade levels and acieve the overall A-Level result she needed to get in to her preferred University course. Your tuition was definitley a significant factor in helping Emma achieve this.Many thanks Ken and Emma
Safwan Jim was a fantastic tutor for me this year, his ability to breakdown topics to help me understand the concepts was very useful! He was also extremely patient when i'd struggle, and would push me to tackle the most difficult questions! I would like to thank Jim for his services this year, and would highly recommend to any other A-level students!
Vanessa Very quickly understood problem & provided excellent explanation & strategies to solve any difficulties with A level statistics. My daughter felt much more confident & able to tackle these problems afterwards. Would definitely recommend.
George Jim really helped our daughter who was struggling with some areas of A2 maths. He was very thorough and provided support questions in the areas she was weaker in. I am very happy to recommend him .Julie
Deborah My son is in his 2nd year at Imperial reading Physics and needed some guidance before his end of year exams. Jim put in many hours of preparation time before the tutorial and was very helpful in answering his questions and bolstering his confidence.
Amanda Brilliant tutor. Thorough and great explanations. My son achieved an A at GCSE due to his help.
Elizabeth Jim worked with my son who is preparing for his Maths A level this summer on a particular aspect of the subject. He was very efficient and prompt in all correspondence, gave clear instructions as to where we would meet up and what information he expected my son to bring with him. His teaching was a genuine help and provided clarity on certain issues. In the tutoring period they covered a great deal of ground and helped my son with areas of the curriculum he had missed due to illness. He was able to advise on aspects of study and exam performance that my son struggles with. We were very happy with this experience and would be glad to ask for Jim's services again.
Alison my daughter has had her first lesson with Jim and is very happy.
Susan Jim is excellent tutor.My daughter said "he makes the physics very simple and easy to understand" . My daughter starting to enjoy physics again after having a lesson with jim. She even ask me to book math lessons with Jim.I wish i knew him long time ago. Thank you so much jim. you are star.FROM KAYLA Jim has an in-depth understanding of both maths and physics and was able to quickly discern the help I needed. He is very patient and all lessons (both in person and over Skype) helped me feel confident and prepared. I would highly recommend Jim!
Clare We used Jim for a few weeks leading up to Physics A level for our daughter.
We would have no hesitation in recommending Jim; he helped give our daughter added confidence heading into the exams.
Claire I would strongly recommend Jim as a tutor for GCSE Maths and Sciences. Jim was very patient and thorough with our sons tutoring, very pleased to say he got all his required grades in these subjects, to move on to his chosen college A level courses! Thank You again Jim.
Sarah When my son started working with Jim he was disinterested in physics due to the college tutors. He was predicted a D and had an E in one of the As modules. Jim was very patient and enthusiastic about the subject. Adam enjoyed his sessions. I felt able to liaise with Jim about progress. To secure his place at uni he needed a C. He re took the As module and converted the E to an A. In the A level he got a C but was 3 marks off a B. We were delighted that With Jims help he gained his place at his preferred university. I would highly recommend Jim.
Rudi Jim has been involved, attentive and proactive in helping francesco attain his goals. it was important that he not only knew his subject very well but was able to adapt his teaching to the specific areas and techniques that gave francesco the maximum benefit. thank you.
Chris Jim tutored our son for Maths and Further Maths during his A2 year. Our son found him patient, approachable and very good at providing specific help for areas where he needed additional explanations. The sessions with Jim gave him a real confidence boost going into his exams and we are definitely planning to use Jim to help our next son with both AS and A2 levels.
Lydia Excellent style of teaching which really made me understand each step of the methods used. Very understanding and encouraging!
Chris My son missed some school time due to a sports injury and needed 'fill in' tutoring to cover the areas that he had missed. Jim did a fantastic job and was able to confirm his understanding of the areas that he had covered and filling in the areas that he had missed. An excellent tutor and we have already recommended him to some of our friends.
Samuel Jim is an excellent tutor, I would recommend him to anyone taking physics at any level, he explains and describes things in such an understandable way and his approach to teaching and learning is so simple and effective.
Jack Very patient and very clear to understand!
Peter Jim is helping our son with physics, he is in his first year of college and on attending a parent evening realised that he was struggling, it was,a case of pupil and tutor breakdown, so our son began to lose confidence and not engage in lessons. Since working with Jim our son has understood the subject much more and has now started to engage in classroom discussions and feels far more,confident that he will reach his goal grade with Jim's continued help. When I met Jim he was very informative and gave lots of very interesting points to,help us on our journey through college which has been invaluable. Our son is very happy attending a weekly session with Jim which is fantastic.
Edward Jim was the best tutor I could of asked for. I really recommend him. I will be using him in the future.
Ken Jim has been a great help for my son who is doing A level Maths and Physics. In AS level he managed to get an A for both the subjects.Jim also helps my other son who is doing GCSE with his maths and science subjects. He too has improved although not as much as my elder son.
Just be slightly flexible with the time as Jim can get very busy on certain day. Recommended.
Verena 'Jim has been very helpful to my daughter. We would have no hesitation in recommending him'
Deirdre (5/5): (A-Level Physics) 'Excellent and very helpful. Thank you '
Ian (5/5): (A-Level Maths) 'I cannot recommend Jim too highly: since he has been helping my Son in his A2 Maths, his test scores have improved markedly. Jim is very flexible in arranging times and locations and has a very calm, personable and no fuss approach to the tuition sessions. He knows exactly what to focus on and how to resolve problems areas effectively. Highly recommended …'
Janet (5/5): (GCSE Maths) 'Friendly and very helpful helpful. Problem-solving approach to maths tuition.'.
Ken (5/5): (A-Level Physics) 'Jim has been a great help for my son who is doing A level Maths and Physics. In AS level he managed to get an A for both the subjects'.Jim also helps my other son who is doing GCSE with his maths and science subjects.
Recommended.
Gary (5/5): (A-Level Physics) Jim is an excellent tutor for both Physics and Maths for AS level, he is very strong in both subjects and I will be using him again throughout next year for both subject for the final A level exams
Yerzhan (5/5): (A-Level Physics) He is very good at teaching. He has helped with things that I have struggled with and now I have improved a lot thanks for him.
Chris (5/5): (A-Level Physics) My sone missed some school time due to a sports injury and needed 'fill in' tutoring to cover the areas that he had missed. Jim did a fantastic job and was able to confirm his understanding of the areas that he had covered and filling in the areas that he had missed. An excellent tutor and we have already recommended him to some of our friends
Tara (5/5): (A-Level Maths) My son had A-level Physics tutoring with Jim following some disappointing marks in his January exams, and his confidence and knowledge have improved immeasurably as a result. Jim's explanations are very thorough and he corrected the basic ideas which my son had misunderstood. My son's physics exam is tomorrow and he going into it with a much better grounding in the subject and is much more confident of getting the result he is capable of and deserves.
Mina (5/5): (A-Level Physics) Jim was professional, prompt and approachable. He was very thorough with help on the Physics topics I found difficult. He was flexible with his appointments and each lesson was planned in advance depending on what I needed help with. He was able to go through topics, discuss problems and check understanding. I felt confident and well prepared for my exams. Many thanks.
Iain (4/5): (A-Level Physics) A very patient tutor who gives good examples to make sure that the student understands what is being asked of them. Very good assistance given when working through past papers. (and a text from the student on results day)… "Hi Jim… I just got my results and I jumped from a D to an A! and got a B overall in the subject. Thank you very much for the tutoring, it paid off!"
Yl (5/5): (A-Level Physics) Jim's tutoring of my son has been excellent. There has been a marked improvement in his confidence and ability in physics. I would highly recommend him to others.
Nicholas (5/5): (A-Level Physics) Very responsive & helpful. Happy to recommend. From Susan (5/5): (A-Level Physics) Jim is an excellent tutor. My daughter said "he makes the physics very simple and easy to understand" . My daughter starting to enjoy physics again after having a lesson with jim. She even ask me to book math lessons with Jim.I wish i knew him long time ago. Thank you so much jim.
Karen (5/5): (GCSE Maths) My daughter was reluctant when we first mentioned finding a Tutor to help her with maths but she enjoys her sessions with Jim and finds them extremely useful. She would not want to go back to struggling on her own. She says that Jim's approach does not make her feel stupid and therefor she is not afraid to ask the questions that shefeels she cannot ask in class.
Sonia (5/5): (A-Level Physics) Excellent Tutor for my daughter
Yvonne (5/5): (A-Level Physics) Our son has found Jim to be approachable and friendly. He has been able explain the theory and its application to real life situations. He has also helped him gain confidence in methods of calculation. Jim's positive approach has enabled Robert to gain confidence in his own ability in this subject.
Lina (5/5): (GCSE Physics) Mr. Jim is quite an extraordinary tutor who has aided me to achieve an A in my IGCSEs.I am grateful for his support and his outstanding sincerity as well as his professionalism.
Daniel (5/5): (A-Level Maths) we highly recommend jim,we found him both patient,tolerant and calm,he has helped our son build his confidence whilst studying maths 'As' level and also to achieve a 'B' in his GCSE retake.we hope to use jims services again once our son begins his second year of A levels!
Claire (5/5): (Secondary Physics) I would strongly recommend Jim as a tutor for GCSE Maths and Sciences. Jim was very patient and thorough with our sons tutoring, very pleased to say he got all his required grades in these subjects, to move on to his chosen college A level courses! Thank You gain Jim.
Samuel (5/5): (A-Level Physics) Jim is an excellent tutor, I would recommend him to anyone taking physics at any level, he explains and describes things in such an understandable way and his approach to teaching and learning is so simple and effective.
Ileana (5/5): (A-Level Physics) I am an IB student and Jim helped me really much in preparing for my exam. He explains everything in great detail and he makes difficult things seem easy. I would recommend him to anyone who needs help with A-level or IB Physics.
William (5/5): (A-Level Physics) Hi Jim, Thanks so much for your help. It enabled me to get a secure B in physics which got me into my first choice uni at Loughborough. Thanks so much. Am really happy!!
Rudi (5/5): (A-Level Maths) jim has been involved, attentive and proactive in helping Francesco attain his goals. it was important that he not only knew his subject very well but was able to adapt his teaching to the specific areas and techniques that gave francesco the maximum benefit. thank you.
Jamie (5/5): (A-Level Maths) I had Maths tutoring with Jim for a couple of hours and it really cleared up a few misconceptions that I had as well as re-learning some old topics. We really could go at a fast pace compared with college as it was one on one and his techniques are really useful. I would definitely recommend Jim as a tutor for Maths.
Verena (5/5): (A-Level Maths) Jim has been very helpful to my daughter. We would have no hesitation in recommending him.
Minnie (5/5): (A-Level Physics) My son received a D is in his Jan 2013 Physics module, Jim provided some tuition and his AS Level result is now an A!!!! My son found him easy to talk and discuss the subject… in his words Jim was amazing!! Thanks so much Minnie
Edward (5/5): (GCSE Maths) Jim was the best tutor I could of asked for. I really recommend him. I will be using him in the future.
Dawn (5/5): (A-Level Physics) Calm, tailored and supportive tutoring. James is really able to understand taught concepts in a way he finds difficult in a large group. He looks forward to his lessons and his confidence is growing. Thanks Jim.