Matthew C.

Throughout my academic life, I was always the student who pestered the teachers with a constant barrage of questions, trying to deepen my knowledge of the surface level content we were learning in class. It was this inquisitive attitude that drew me towards the sciences, leading to me being accepted by one of the most prestigious universities in the world to study Medicine. This year, I am beginning my second preclinical year at the University of Oxford Medical School, after scoring in the top 10% of my cohort in my first year exams and achieving a scholarship to the university as a result. I have always believed that my academic abilities are shaped not by 'natural talent', but rather my intellectual curiosity, understanding the whys of the subject matter to easier learn the hows. 

However, just understanding the content is pointless if one is unable to convey it. The level of understanding which I have built with my learning approach both enables me to excel in my own studies but also to communicate concepts with people unfamiliar with the material, an invaluable skill for both tutoring and my future career as a medical doctor. Through my current experience as a biology tutor for GCSE and A Level students (focusing on AQA exam boards, as well as OCR A for GCSE Level), I have developed my science communication skills, which, through working with students of varying abilities, I have learned to adapt to any level of understanding of the subject matter. Alongside my previous tutoring experience, my public speaking abilities have been honed through both achieving the LAMDA bronze award and speaking infront of 400+ people at my school about my experience of the medicine admissions process, of which I undertook as the vice president of the school's Medical Society. Rather unusally for a medical student, I undertook English Literature A Level, achieving a grade A (alongside the usual Biology and Chemistry, achieving A* in both). Not only did this help me stand out on my application, but also provided me with a repertoire of communication and reasoning skills which strengthen my teaching. 

Alongside tutoring biology, I am also able to provide key insights for the medicine admissions process, focusing on crafting the personal statement and how to approach interviews, using techniques which enabled me to secure 3/4 offers for medical schools across the UK in my first year of applying.

My aim is to foster or produce inquisitive students like myself, who are just as interested in why things are than as how. To build student understanding, I discuss topic areas in the context of the syllabus as a whole, focusing on why the student is learning this particular area and the biological principles it demonstrates. This enables the student to easily learn multiple topic areas by applying the same reasoning, not only making the learning and memorisation process more efficient but also crafting a good student, rather than a student good at answering exam questions. 

The interactivity of my lessons certainly derive somewhat from the Oxford tutorial system of teaching, where the student is asking a question they are unfamiliar with and expected to reach an answer using first principles of the subject. Therefore, this understanding centred approach is also invaluable for those students interested in applying to Oxbridge, as the interviews for these universities centre on the ability of the student to use their understanding to reason with unfamiliar content or scenarios. This of course must be ammended somewhat depending upon the level of understanding the student initially has, so rest assured this style of teaching would be tailored to individual student needs, capabilities and interests. Whilst initially this may feel a little uncomfortable for the student, the aim is that over time the student becomes comfortable not knowing the answer, and is able to use their current understanding to try to find one, a skill demanded by many synoptic questions in particularly A Level papers, of which are notoriously answered poorly by students. 

The lessons themselves would therefore centre on the syllabus, instantly making the student aware of the content they need to know for their exam. As we talk through the content, we would consider diagrams and past exam questions which aid the student's understanding of what is being taught. After long explanations I will always ask the student to reiterate what they have just been taught to ensure all knowledge gaps are filled. However, I am very aware that just a single lesson a week is by no means a magic pill to improve grades; hence I would focus on the importance of student study outside of lesson time, will often set exam questions as homework and will emphasise the importance of revisting content before the next lesson. Each lesson will therefore begin with a brief review of the previous lesson's content, to provide the space repetition required for learning, as well as constant allusion to previous concepts and topics, giving the student a synoptic understanding of the core content and the principles which underpin it.