Viva Lewes Issue #122 November 2016

Directory Spotlight:
Chemistry tutor Brian McVicar
I was a chemistry teacher
at various secondary
schools in London and
then joined an independent
girls' school in Croydon
as Head of Chemistry. I
retired from full-time work
seven years ago, but always
did some private tuition and
have kept that going.
Most of my teaching now is at A-level, with
some GCSE as well. I work one-on-one with
up to half a dozen pupils; a mixture of school and
sixth-form students. I'm also an examiner at A-
level for one of the major UK exam boards.
Our basic understanding of chemistry has
been around for quite a long time, although
the exam boards add current topics of interest.
For instance, the use of computers and analytical
instruments has transformed research.
The style of questions
has changed, too. When
I was at school, you'd often
be asked to write essays on
chemical topics. That's not
done today.
Students sometimes think
multiple-choice questions
are easy because you just
have to pick the right answer.
But in fact they can be constructed in quite
difficult ways - so there can be quite a lot of work
just to get one mark.
I think it’s a pity that today’s students
perhaps don’t get the breadth of laboratory
practical experience that they used to. I’m not
sure why - there are pressures on teaching time,
of course, and health and safety considerations
may play a part. Interview by Mark Bridge
01273 488023 / brianmcvicar4@gmail.com
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