Nicholas

I'm a mathematician currently based in Bellshill, Lanarkshire. Until recently I was a researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in Bonn, Germany. Before Bonn I held research positions at Université Clermont Auvergne in France and at Lancaster University and, before that, did a doctorate in maths at Oxford. I'm free to offer tuition in maths and physics for students able to travel to me and am also very happy to offer online tutorials.

Tutoring Experience

I have extensive experience tutoring Mathematics at National 1-5, Higher and Advanced Higher level, GCSE, AS and A-level, and at undergraduate and master's university level. I have similarly extensive experience in Physics tuition at National 5, Higher, GCSE and A-level. I've also been a teaching assistant and college tutor for several undergraduate Mathematics courses, across a number of topics in algebra, analysis, and topology, and at all levels, at Oxford. In addition to this teaching experience, I have also assisted in giving undergraduate admissions interviews in Mathematics at Oriel College, Oxford, and so would be able to help students wishing to apply to Oxford in the nature and content of undergraduate maths interviews.

Tutoring Approach

My approach in tutoring is oriented around the student: their expectations, background knowledge and way of thinking; and what they see as most important to focus on, be it a particular part of maths or physics, or a certain type of problem. While it is useful and necessary for students to be familiar with certain recipes and templates for solving different types of problems, ideally, the aim is to give them a deeper understanding of the ideas behind the material they learn and the problems they are set. This provides a much firmer basis for an appreciation of both maths and physics and greater problem-solving ability.