Information about James - Canberra tutor

Personal Description:

Hello! My name is James. In 2022, I graduated from the International Baccalaureate (IB) with a score of 44/45.

The subjects I chose were Literature (HL), Chemistry (HL), Biology (SL), Math AA (HL/SL), Italian ab initio (SL), History (HL). Having just completed the IB, I am very aware of the rigours and challenges posed by these subjects and I am well placed to help students through the process. I feel the IB has given me a broad and deep understanding of the content and understanding that college requires. The subjects I would love to tutor are:

Math AA (SL) & Math AI (HL/SL) - I completed three semesters of HL Math AA, undergoing 4 HL subjects in that period, before sadly having to drop a HL subject to the IB mandated three. Thus, I feel very comfortable helping with Math AA SL, Maths AI HL and SL. I scored 7/7.

Chemistry (HL/SL) - 7/7

Literature (HL/SL) - 7/7

Throughout the IB, I made extensive notes, with extra research, past papers, practice tests and other resources, which I found invaluable to my IB study. I make these resources available to students I tutor.

While I have received academic distinctions, including Dux of IB Year 12, Dux of year 10, the Australian Defence Force’s Future Innovator’s award in 2020 and Dux of Philosophy, I also recognise the importance of balance in education. I received 2 college awards in year 11 and 12, representing all roundedness in my approach to study and sport. I hope through tutorials we can reduce the stress on students.

Tuition Experience:

I have experience tutoring a wide range of subjects. For many years, I tutored English online to four international medical students. This experienced helped me understand how to best deliver online classes.

I have also tutored mathematics at year 9 and 10 levels and IB year 11 levels, along with tutoring chemistry at year 11 IB level.

Tutoring Approach:

In my opinion, understanding is best represented by the pyramid. The pyramid has a series of layers, which rely on the blocks beneath them. Hence, my approach focuses on building pyramids of understanding with students, from the bottom up. I believe that with this method, students can better understand the interconnections between ideas, their context, and their use. However, this approach is highly dynamic. I understand that students can often have these pyramid partially, or almost fully formed from content they learn at school. Hence, this approach can morph to suit individual needs, so together we can isolate and fill gaps in the pyramid. One approach is to answer questions that students have struggled with in homework and then practice similar tailored questions with students