Un étudiant ingénieur propose des cours de physique et de mathématiques jusque au niveau universitaire de 2ème année

En savoir plus sur Gennady

• When did you develop an interest in your chosen field and in private tutoring?

  I've always loved mathematics and was always good at it because I love solving problems using logic and reason. My attitude to physics, however, was different. My first teacher of physics at school was really bad which made me hate the subject because of incomprehension. But then our physics teacher was replaced. New teachers' methods of teaching were based on explaining "big ideas" - key concepts about each topic and trying to explain material based on prior fundamental knowledge so that everyone could derive it themselves, not just memorize some formulas and facts. Only then I have finally realised that physics was all about those things that I like - logic and reason, not just stupid memorization. That's when my love for the subject was born. My physics teacher also acted as my role model when I started my tutoring career.

• Tell us more about the subject you teach, the topics you like to discuss with students (and possibly those you like a little less).

  I like all the topics in physics and maths as I find those subjects really interesting and fascinating as they can explain and describe the functioning of the whole universe and they might be very helpful in your future everyday life. I personally don't like teaching subjects which involve the frequent use of calculators like statistics and probability, as in online teaching it is very difficult to spot a student's mistake when he is doing something wrong in his calculator which has a different model or settings. I can perfectly explain the ideas behind those topics and how statistics and probability function so that students would get a great understanding of the subject, but I can't teach you how to use your calculator.

• Did you have any role models; a teacher that inspired you?

  My physics teacher in high school was my inspiration and my role model. He was extremely passionate about the subject and dedicated so much time to his students as no other teacher did in my experience. His explanations were very clear, so due to his teaching method my knowledge of physics was improved from almost zero to full understanding in just one year, so I can transcend my knowledge to others via tutoring. Due to that person I've realised that there are no bad students, there are only teachers with the wrong teaching method which doesn't fit you.

• What do you think are the qualities required to be a good tutor?

  For me being a good tutor means caring about your students and giving them as much attention as they need, being sensitive to their feedback and spotting moments of confusion in a student to reexplain some details when you feel that he/she lost track of the lesson. Incomprehension is what creates hatred toward a subject in the student, not the subject itself!!! A good tutor should always be able to find a way to explain the material to a student and should be ready to explain the material as many times as needed until the student won't get a full understanding of the topic.

• Provide a valuable anecdote related to your subject or your days at school.

  I don't have any appropriate stories to tell about my school life, but I wasn't the quietest kid at school, trust me) (more of an opposite, I should say). But yet, here I am - studying at a great University and tutoring my own students because my teachers found the right approach and teaching method for me, so I want to do the same with my students!

• What were the difficulties or challenges you faced or still facing in your subject?

  The toughest challenge in my subject for me is keeping concentration for a very long period of time and spotting your own mistakes. There are some tasks which require a full page or 2 pages of derivations and tedious algebra, and it is very hard to pay attention to all the numbers, brackets, and changes of signs in there. Spotting your own mistakes is the hardest challenge for me. That's why I always teach my students some techniques for double-checking their calculations or their answers with reason or some arithmetic/visual tricks which I find useful and helpful for myself.

• Do you have a particular passion? Is it teaching in general or an element of the subject or something completely different?

  My true passion is engineering. I have chosen this profession as I love being creative. The idea of finding innovative solutions to everyday problems is incredible on its own. Using your creativity and fundamental knowledge to help people by building and designing something useful and life-changing gives you an insane amount of motivation and inspiration. The feeling of happiness and joy inside of you can't be compared to anything when you see your creation working in real life!

• What makes you a Superprof (besides answering this interview questions :-P) ?

  The main reason why I could call myself a Superprof is my desire of helping others. I feel like physics and mathematics are awesome, and I want to share my love for those subjects with my students. Sharing your knowledge with others is a pleasure, but what is more important is looking at the happy faces of my students who have learned something new or finally understood topics they thought were impossible to comprehend by a regular human being besides Albert Einstein and Steven Hawking :D Their success in their studies and their exams is my success too!