Mathematics and Physics

I hold a First Class Honours Degree in Physics and a PhD in Computer Science. As part of my doctoral training, I also sat an MSc in Computer Science and obtained the results necessary for a Distinction grade. In all my endeavours in Higher Education, I could not have achieved higher grades.

My PhD was in Post-Quantum Cryptography. You know, that old chestnut. This is a highly mathematical field, requiring a post-graduate understanding of Mathematics. There isn’t a branch of Mathematics at degree or Master’s level I haven’t studied extensively. In particular, my thesis was on Gaussian sampling algorithms for Lattice-Based Cryptography, which uses high-dimensional vector spaces with integer linear combinations of basis vectors to encrypt information. This is where I got the name for my tutoring services - Noisy Equations - as there is a subset of problems on lattices which involve adding noise to equations in order to prevent them from being solved (by a bad person trying to hack a system).

After my PhD, I worked at Queen’s University, Belfast as a post-doctoral researcher in the same field. I have tutored numerous A-level and GCSE students in both Mathematics and Physics since around 2014. I did this at home with students from many schools, mostly children of family friends and people I knew, but also while I worked at Our Lady’s Grammar School, Newry, as a Physics technician. I got special permission from the school to take students for revision sessions for A-level Physics.

I am now tutoring students in a more official capacity. I have a passion for teaching interesting subject matter. I have a lot of such experience, not only for GCSE and A-level, but also at University level. I taught second year undergraduates the Mathematics of Computer Science and taught Master’s degree students secure programming in the C language. I have also been teaching guitar since the age of 16.

I look to research for methods of teaching complex concepts. I chose to do the dissertation of my Physics degree on Physics Education Research, particularly on the effects of misconceptions on students’ understanding of electromagnetic induction. Doing this showed me the benefits of the wealth of research which many teachers aren’t even aware exists. Therefore, my approach is one backed up by empirical data, where it is available.

In my teaching, I build concepts from first principles, where this is applicable. Where it isn’t applicable, I inform the students that this is something they are expected to take as an assumption. It’s OK that you don’t know where this came from, you aren’t expected to at this level, just remember it and take it as fact. The distinction between remembering and learning is important. Learning a process, e.g. how to solve a particular problem, is a different skill from remembering a formula. Both are essential in Mathematics and Physics and I make sure my students can clearly distinguish between the parts of the syllabus which require each. I have a well-developed set of techniques for refining these skills.

As well as focusing on building concepts, I also focus on misconceptions. These are extremely common in such complex subjects. A student might believe that something they applied before applies to a similar looking situation, where it doesn’t. Or they might use similar terms interchangeably, or arrive at the correct answer through flawed logic. There are endless possibilities. I actively identify where these misconceptions may arise, ensure the distinction between similar concepts is emphasised and walk back through the correct reasoning for a given scenario.

Overall, I have been very successful in teaching. I hope I can help you or your child in the same way.

Guitar

I have been playing the guitar since I was 11, got my Grade 8 when I was 16 and have very thick skin on my fingertips. I grew up as a bit of a rocker, listening to Iron Maiden and condemning all music which wasn’t heavy metal as inferior. Although I still have a place in my heart for heavy metal, my music taste is now all over the shop! I can listen to classical music one minute, telling myself I’m a refined gentleman, and the next I’ll be bouncing around the house to dubstep or rave tunes.

My eclectic taste has manifested in my guitar playing. I love to take songs which aren’t made for guitar, whether it was originally designed for a symphony orchestra or a synthesiser, and arrange it to fit on 6 strings and a fretboard. Some examples of this are the Lord of the Rings soundtrack, Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack, Strobe by Deadmau5, Insomnia by Faithless and Elgar’s Cello Concerto.

No matter what you want to learn on guitar, I can and will show you how to play it. My guitar lessons are very different from my Maths and Physics lessons. In a guitar lesson, you decide what to learn. Want to skip the music theory and just learn songs? That’s fine. Want a more rigorous dive into scales, improvisation and theory? That’s fine, too. You are the boss, but you’re a boss who must practice or you’ll get a disappointed look.

I have taught many guitar students over the years. I’ve taken them through graded exams, or taught them song after song, I’ve even helped them with their GCSE and A-level performances for Music. Other students have been in bands and have wanted help writing songs or solos. I’ve taught people how to sing and play simultaneously (I can literally teach you how to be the life and soul of a party).