Julian Chemistry

Julian’s strong credentials as a former MOE scholar with first class Honours from both NUS and UCLA, and 14-years of experience in coaching and mentoring for both gifted and normal programs make him your best choice for chemistry tuition. Make bonds and connect the dots with Julian now. For Programme Details, Fees & Registration, visit my website here. 

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When you get up at a specific time every day, it can be tough to sleep in on the weekend. Your internal “body clock” might wake you at the exact same time that you usually wake up for work or school. If you have ever flown overseas, crossing multiple time zones, you may have experienced another side effect of the “body clock” concept— jet lag. Thanks to their exploration of the human internal body clock and its workings, a trio of scientists claimed the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physiology! Find out more about their discovery.

Pioneers in Chronobiology

The study of internal biological “clocks” is known as chronobiology. Three scientists from the United States decided to pioneer in this field, investigating how and why the internal body clock concept works. How do circadian cycles affect health? How are people’s sleep patterns influenced?

The Genetic and Molecular Roots

Michael Rosbash, Michael Young, and Jeffrey Hall worked tirelessly to reveal the mechanics behind the human body clock. In the mid-1980’s, they found a gene that regulated bio-rhythms in fruit flies. Over the years, their research expanded, showing more and more of the entire system. According to Michael Young, “Just like puzzle pieces, the genes fell out and the way they work together provided this beautiful mechanism that we now appreciate.”

Thanks to modern scientific tools, the three researchers went down to the molecular level, exploring how animals, plants, and humans can actually anticipate day or night and control their biological responses accordingly.

The 2017 Nobel Prize

As a result of their unfolding research, the three scientists received the Nobel Prize. They were shocked and thrilled, of course because of the great honour and in part because of the size of the prize— about $1.1 million in U.S. currency.

The scientists’ discovery is still at the ground level. They have unraveled the basics of the molecular mechanics for body clocks, but the practical applications of the discovery are yet to come. With this new understanding of how circadian rhythms and cycles work, scientists may be able to find new ways to help people with insomnia and other sleep issues. They may be able to figure out how to minimise the effects of jet lag. In addition, researchers hope to discover how wilfully ignoring the body clock may affect a person’s health in the long-term.

The Key to the Secrets of Science

Science and chemistry are everywhere, throughout your body and in the world around you. Are you curious about how some part of the world works? Keep studying with your Singapore chemistry tutor and pursuing your JC chemistry tuition, and you just might be able to find out those answers someday. Your chemistry tutor in Singapore isn’t just teaching you to pass the A level or O level classes; he is also teaching you the basic knowledge and skills you need to unlock the secrets of the physical world. Who knows where your chemistry tuition might take you?

Source: Channel NewsAsia, 2 October

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What does chemistry have to do with that cup of coffee near your elbow, or with the latte that your mom or dad drinks every morning? A good chemistry school teacher or  JC chemistry tuition should make it a point to help you make connections between everyday items and the amazing, complex world of chemistry. Find out how chemistry empowers the barista at your favourite coffee shop to brew and blend the perfect cup of coffee.

Percentages by Mass

Have you noticed that the coffee you make at home doesn’t seem to taste quite as good as the cup you buy from a cafe? The reason has to do with chemistry, of course. In order for a cup of coffee to taste just right, it needs to contain 1.2-1.5 percent of coffee constituents, measured by mass. Some people also like the intense shots of espresso, at levels between 8-10 percent by mass.

Brewing Methods

To get the balance and concentration of the drink just right, a barista can use a number of methods. Scientists have created machines that can produce the ideal espresso, and most coffee shops have one or more. An espresso machine is expensive due to its complexity, so it’s not as popular in the home kitchen.

Other methods include the French press or the Aeropress. You can use a regular drip coffee maker, do the pour-over method, or try Turkish or Arabic styles of coffee. They all result in different tastes and textures, discernible to a coffee connoisseur. Why the difference? It all comes down to the combination of water and coffee. Is the coffee immersed in the water, or does the water flow through it? How long is it exposed to the water? How fast is the movement of water through coffee or vice versa?

Grinding Styles and Temperature Choices

Other factors are involved as well. How finely was the coffee ground? A blade grinder results in coffee with a completely different texture than a burr grinder. At what temperature is brewing process conducted? A higher temperature sucks more of the good flavours out of the coffee, but it can bring with it some unfavourable compounds, too, causing the coffee to be “musty” or unpleasant.

Water Quality and Acidity

The quality of the water matters, too. If your brew water is too soft, your coffee will be very acidic or sour. If the water is too hard, the coffee might taste chalky or bland, since the bicarbonate in the water cancels out the good flavours associated with certain acids in the coffee.

It’s practically impossible to control all these factors when you’re at home; but in a coffee shop, the business depends on being able to use the purest water, with the best and freshest coffee, at the ideal temperature for the right amount of time, resulting in drinkable perfection. So your local cafe is actually a chemistry lab, designed to continually produce a desired result.

Coffee and Your Chemistry Tuition in Singapore

The next time you use a cup of coffee to fuel your studies with your chemistry tutor in Singapore, remember how closely chemistry is linked to your real life. There’s chemistry involved in cooking, and in the manufacture of the soaps, toothpaste, and other products you use. Chemistry plays a part in the rhythms of your body, in your waking and sleeping cycles. With chemistry, you can better understand the function of your hormones and emotions. Chemistry was involved in the making of the varnish that coats the wood on your desk. It’s everywhere!

When you persevere with your A level chemistry tuition or your O level chemistry tuition, you get a glimpse into how the world actually works. Chemistry knowledge and skills are the key to making discoveries, creating reactions, and exercising your mind in an exciting way.

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Are you having trouble learning and retaining the content you need to know for school? Check out these seven tricks for understanding and remembering material.

Trick 1: Consume Content in Bite-Sized Chunks

Don’t try to cram everything into your head at once! Take your learning in small doses. Study a new topic for 30-40 minutes; but don’t go beyond 50 minutes of new material, or your brain may not be able to accept it. Spend a chunk of time learning new things, and then take a little break to refresh your mind, grab a snack or a drink, listen to a favourite song, or take a short walk before you go back to your studies.

Trick 2: Take Notes

While the teacher is talking, or while you’re reading the material, write down important bits of the content. Note fast facts, key dates, specific chemical formulas or properties – anything that might be essential to know for comprehension or for an exam. You can take notes digitally, too; but some studies suggest that handwriting notes is better for active listening and complete understanding.

Trick 3: Join a Tuition Class

Are you truly having trouble grasping the information, despite your best efforts? There’s no shame in needing extra help! Often, students tend to struggle with complex topics like chemistry, creating the need for a chemistry tutor in Singapore. Look for a qualified tutor like Julian Tan to help you with your A level chemistry tuition or O level chemistry tuition. A good tutor helps you find the real-life connection with the subject, so that learning becomes fun and interesting instead of boring and burdensome. You can have a one-on-one tutor or look for class-style chemistry tuition in Singapore.

Trick 4: Become a Teacher Yourself

Sometimes, explaining the material to someone else is a great way to solidify the concepts in your own mind. Perhaps you could teach what you’re learning to a younger sibling, an interested parent, or a struggling classmate. As you hear yourself teaching through the material, it becomes more deeply ingrained in your brain, and you discover any learning gaps that you may not have noticed before.

Trick 5: Review the Information

To help yourself retain what you’ve learned, wait a day or two and review the entire lesson again. Whether you’re hearing it in class or studying on your own, you should be going over the material at least three times total to ensure maximum retention.

Trick 6: Use Memory Aids

Are you having trouble remembering a list of facts or a specific set of chemical properties? Come up with a song, rhyme, or chant to help you recall those facts. Your chemistry tutor in Singapore or your teacher at school may have some suggestions for memorisation aids. Of course, the tried-and-true flash card method can be very valuable if you’re studying facts for a test.

Trick 7: Find a New Location

Is your usual study location too noisy or too distracting? Scout your home or neighbourhood for a quiet space where you can focus on learning without people interrupting you or loud noises disturbing you. Turn off notifications on your smartphone so you’re not tempted to check the latest message from a friend, and focus completely on mastering the new material. With perseverance and some help, you can do it!

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When you are up to your eyeballs in school work, prep classes at a Singapore chemistry tuition center, self study sessions while also trying to retain a semblance of a life, it can be hard to look ahead and see a bright future in your chosen field. That’s when stories of people like Isabella L. Karle can serve to inspire you and push you to success in your A level or O level chemistry studies. Find out more about Isabella L. Karle’s amazing contributions to science!

Early Persistence

When Isabella Karle was young, she was discouraged from pursuing her love of chemistry. A teacher of hers once said that it wasn’t proper for a girl to study chemistry. Karle ignored that negative advice and pressed on, inspired by the life of Nobel Prize winner Marie Curie.

She studied chemistry at the University of Michigan and received her bachelor’s degree in 1941. Karle then went on to achieve a master’s degree just one year later, and two years after that she earned her PhD.

A Marriage of Minds

During her time at university, she was seated alphabetically next to her husband, since her maiden name was Lugoski and his was Karle. The two of them developed a friendship, which later led to love and a lifelong marriage.

Jerome Karle supported his wife’s passion for chemistry. Two years after he began working at the Naval Research Laboratory, she was hired there as well. They often worked as a team, along with other brilliant mathematicians and scientists and the NRL.

Her Life’s Work

Isabella Karle was a part of the Manhattan Project during World War II. During this time, she created a new method for extracting plutonium chloride from a mixture including plutonium oxide. She also did groundbreaking work on molecular structure, especially with molecules in their vapour state.

Her husband Jerome, along with another scientist, worked on X-ray scattering techniques that allowed a better identification and duplication of crystal structures. Isabella lent her expertise to the project and helped the team discover more practical ways to use the new technology, especially in the fields of pharmaceuticals and fabrication of synthetic materials.

Because of this project, Jerome Karle received the Nobel Prize in 1985, jointly with his colleague Herbert A Hauptman. After receiving the award, Jerome expressed his wish that the Nobel Prize would be given to Isabella as well. He said, “I can’t think of anyone who is more qualified than my wife.”

Prizes and Honours

In 1988, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences gave Isabella Karle their Gregori Aminoff Prize. In 1993, she received the Bower Award and Prize for Achievement in Science, a prize worth $250,000. Other honours bestowed on her included the National Medal of Science and the prominent Navy Distinguished Civilian Service Award.

Legacy

The Karles had three children, all girls and all successful scientists. After a long and distinguished career, Isabella Karle retired along with her husband in 2009. Although Jerome died in 2013, she lived until October 3, 2017, when she died at the age of 95. The two chemists were married for 71 years.

Inspiration for Your Career

As you prepare for your career in chemistry, you may feel discouraged from time to time. Working with a qualified tutor from Julian Chemistry can be incredibly helpful, but it’s also a good idea to read some stories of other scientists and chemists who worked hard and achieved brilliant success.  Through their lives, you can catch a glimpse of the amazing possibilities for your future.

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As you move through your Chemistry studies you’ll surely have come across sections about molecular structure. Well you better have, if not it is time to study up or sign up for A level chemistry tuition or O level chemistry tuition in Singapore!

Talking about molecular structures, the fact that human beings can even study the world at such a basic level is amazing! Recently, three scientists received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for developing a method that allows scientists to see the structure of molecules in much more detail. Find out more about their discovery and what it means for the rest of the world.

A Team of Three

Three different researchers from three separate countries received the Nobel Prize, and they will be sharing the $1.1 million U.S. that comes along with the honour. Jacques Dubochet, from the University of Lausanne, is one recipient. Based at New York’s Columbia University, Joachim Frank is the second recipient, and Richard Henderson of Britain’s MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology is the third.

The Development of a New Process

The trio of scientists came up with a system known as “cryo-electron microscopy,” which permits them to freeze bio-molecules in place. That way, the researchers can see them as they are, without having to deal with the constant movement within the molecules. In the past, electron microscopes couldn’t be used for biological molecules, since the electron beam would eradicate any living material in its path. However, by cryo-freezing the biological material, the scientists could protect the material from harm and preserve it for study using the electron microscope.

The “Google Earth for Molecules”

Another leader in the world of chemistry and president of the American Chemical Society, Allison Campbell, explains the process in more detail. “This discovery allows the scientist to zoom in down to the fine detail, that fine resolution that you want to have.” She went on to say that cro-electron microscopy is like “Google Earth for molecules.” Just as Google Earth permits users to view the big picture or get up close with specific ground-level locations, so the new molecular technology permits a broad view or a precise, up-close encounter with molecules, including specific atoms within them.

Future Usefulness of Cryo-Electron Microscopy

According to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, cryo-electron microscopy is “decisive for both the basic understanding of life’s chemistry and for the development of pharmaceuticals.” During Brazil’s recent crisis, in which many children were born with microcephaly, researchers used cryo-electron microscopy to study the Zika virus, which was suspected of causing the cases of brain damage and deformity. Beyond that event, the new molecular study method has ramifications for virus study and drug development that could benefit millions of people.

A Future Perspective

When you’re bogged down in studies for your next A or O level chemistry exams, sometimes, it can be tough to have the right perspective on your future. The work you’re doing right now, with the help of your Singapore chemistry tutor, is important! You’re learning the skills and facts that you will need in your future career; and who knows? One day, you may make an equally important discovery in the field of chemistry, one that will open doors to new research and potentially save lives.

Source: Inquirer.net, 4 October 2017

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Sushi is a deceptively simple dish. It’s just rice and vegetables, with seaweed and fresh fish. However, as people around the world can testify, it is incredibly delicious! Why is sushi so tasty? It all goes back to chemistry! You probably will not see sushi being used as an example in your Chemistry textbook; but here at Julian Chemistry, we believe in providing students with relatable real-life examples for our A level Chemistry tuition in Singapore. Check out some fun facts about the involvement of chemistry in the preparation of sushi!

The Study of Sushi

Do you think your A level chemistry tuition takes a lot of extra effort? Imagine going to school for up to seven years, simply to learn the art and science of sushi! Japanese sushi chefs and other sushi chefs throughout the world take great pride in their craft, and they have to learn the science that goes with it.

The Start of Sushi

Sushi started as a way to preserve fish as food. The fish would be packed with rice and allowed to ferment for a year. Fermentation occurs when beneficial bacteria feed off carbohydrates, like rice, producing lactic acid. Allowing these good bacteria to do their work keeps the harmful bacteria at bay. Much later, with the invention of refrigeration technologies, it became possible to serve sushi with completely raw fish rather than cured fish.

The Chemistry of Sushi Rice

In the early days, people ate the preserved fish but not the sour, fermented rice. Today, however, that sourness is a coveted part of the experience. Sushi rice is often flavoured with vinegar and sugar to get that effect. Perfect sushi rice contains granules of a starch called amylopectin, as well as other starches. Breaking open the grains of sushi rice lets the starch out, so sushi chefs have to be very careful to keep the grains intact in order to have just the right amount of stickiness. Two years of a sushi chef’s training focuses on how to create the perfect sushi rice.

The Fifth Taste

The Japanese maintain that there is a fifth taste besides salty, sweet, sour, and bitter. They call it “umami,” and it’s what makes certain savoury dishes so delectable. A Japanese chemist by the name of Kikunae Ikeda discovered that the source of the “umami” quality in some foods is the compound glutamate, which appears as an amino acid called glutamic acid. Glutamate or glutamic acid is partially responsible for that savoury delicious taste we love about cheese and meat.

If you add a sodium ion to glutamate, you get monosodium glutamate, or MSG. Although some people perceive MSG as harmful to health, there’s no evidence of it, at least when it presents naturally in food.

After all, the fish used in sushi also contains glutamate, which is partially responsible for the incredible tastiness. Other key players in the taste game are the omega-3 fatty acids packed into fish flesh; and these fatty acids are incredibly good for your health.

Seaweed and Sushi

You probably know that sushi wrappers are made of a type of seaweed called “nori.” Mannitol, iodine, and bromophenol work together within the seaweed to create its unique combination of sweetness and ocean tang. Seaweed also contains some of the same beneficial omega-3 fatty acids that you would find in fresh fish.

More to Explore

If you’re feeling overwhelmed with compounds and formulas and you need a chemistry tutor in Singapore, explore Julian chemistry tuition. At Julian Chemistry, we know that real chemistry isn’t just a bunch of facts and numbers on a page. It’s a living, breathing science that is all around you— in the sky, in the sea, and even in the sushi on your plate.

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As students, we often times get so distracted with studying and learning as much as we can that we don’t take the time to actually enjoy the subject. A and O level Chemistry is a prime example. Here at Julian Chemistry, we not only strive to help students succeed in Chemistry learning, but also develop an enjoyment for the subject while attending our Chemistry tuition classes. We know it can be easy to get overwhelmed in memorizing chemical equations or acids and bases, that we don’t notice these reactions and key examples right in front of us. It’s the real life examples of chemistry that make it so cool! In this article, we’d like to show you just a few examples of chemistry in our everyday lives that will make you excited to learn more.

Whether they are large philosophical questions like “Why is the sky blue?” or something as simple as “Why do onions make me cry?” – these questions can be answered with chemistry. Keep reading to find out how!

1. Why Is the Sky Blue?

You may be aware that the light that comes from the sun is termed “white light”. This kind of light actually contains all the colours of the spectrum, all of which can be seen after a rainstorm in the form of a rainbow. Cool right?

On a nice day when the sun is high in the sky, the gas particles in the air absorb only the short wavelengths of light and results in the reflection of blue light in all directions. If you look closely you may notice that the blue colour of the sky seems to fade as it reaches the horizon.

This is because the light has to travel a much longer distance to reach our eyes and some of the blue light waves are scattered away. This also explains the phenomenon we sometimes see at sunset with a plethora of colours in the sky. Dust and particles in the atmosphere absorb different wavelengths of light, sending colours of pink, purple, and orange to our eyes.

2. Crying While Cutting Onions? It’s Actually Sulphuric Acid!

Now, let’s address the irritating question. Why do we cry when cutting onions? Many of us have experienced the irritating – and sometimes painful – phenomenon associate with cutting onions. But how can chemistry explain this?

The act of cutting or damaging the onion produces a chemical known as thiopropanol S-oxide. This chemical wafts upwards towards the eyes and upon landing on the cornea, stimulates a nervous response from the tear glands. The water that rushes towards the irritant, or the “tears”, is an effort to dilute and neutralize the thiopropanol S-oxide. However, the water actually reacts with thiopropanol S-oxide and creates sulphuric acid, which explains the burning sensation we get along with the tears and the need to create more tears to continue to attempt to flush it away.

Chemistry also explains why we stop crying once we put the onions in the pan and cook them. This heat inactivates the enzymes so they no longer create the toxic reaction on the surface of our eyes. The kitchen has a lot of examples of chemistry, what else can you think of?

3. Brain Chemistry

Those are just two of an endless number of cool science experiments going on all around us. Speaking of crying, what about our real emotions? Did you know that feelings of sadness and happiness (and all the other emotions!) can be explained by chemistry?

Our brains contain many chemicals that can dictate our emotions like dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin. Dopamine, also known as the “pleasure chemical”, hangs out in the neurons of our brain. When something good happens to us, dopamine travels through the synapse between two neurons and attaches to receptors on the neighbouring neuron.

This interaction occurs thousands of times, sending dopamine through a network of neurons in the brain and giving us the feeling of pleasure. It’s the result of imbalances in chemicals like dopamine or even faulty synapse interactions that result in depression and other mental or emotional disorders. Interesting, right?

4. How Does Soap Work?

Now, back to the kitchen. Soap? The molecules in soap are polar, one end is hydrophobic and the other extremely hydrophilic. In dirty dishes, multiple soap molecules surround oil or grease molecules in order to wash them away. The hydrophobic end is bonded to the oil while the hydrophilic end bonds easily with water. This allows the oil or grease on your dishes to be surrounded by the soap molecules and washed away easily down the drain. Think about it next time you wash dishes, it might make the task a little more interesting!

Chemistry Is Everywhere!

These are just a few ways that chemistry is found throughout our lives. So next time you’re listening to an A Level Chemistry tutor or lecturer consider how the topic might affect your life. It’s easy to focus solely on memorizing or learning as much as possible but if you’re interested and invested in the topic, it makes it that much easier to learn.

We hope that this article has ignited excitement for all things chemistry, and we hope that these examples stick with you through your studies. We also hope it inspires you to seek out more examples and look closer at the products around you and how chemistry affects all our lives.

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Here at Julian Chemistry, we often hear stories from students who become overwhelmed and stressed over the coursework and studying requirements of A Level Chemistry. In this article we hope to provide you with tips and strategies to start your semester off strong and maintain your agility throughout the term.

Start Off Strong

While this may seem like an intuitive point to start off with, it is key to success in A Level Chemistry (as well as most other A Level subjects). Each topic covered throughout the term builds on the fundamentals that you learn in the first few weeks. This makes it vital to find answers to any questions you have at the beginning. Missing a key concept early on and not clarifying doubts will undoubtedly lead to the build up of a snowball effect which will have overwhelming negative impact in the study of Chemistry. Don’t be afraid to ask questions as our chemistry tutors can help in mastering these fundamentals.

Be Honest with Yourself

Being honest with yourself and recognizing your limits and abilities is one of the best ways to succeed in learning. Knowing where and how you study best (as well as where you study the worst) can save you hours of studying time.

Understanding how much reading you can handle in one sitting, or how many practice questions you are likely to complete without losing focus are ways that can prevent you from burning out and allow you to seek the academic help that you might need.

Knowing your abilities allows you to pace yourself in preparation for the examination and focus on key topics that you feel least comfortable on as the exam day approaches.

Break the Bad Habits

This requires you to be honest with yourself and motivated. If you’re able to acknowledge a bad study habit or a serious procrastination habit, congratulations – you’ve made a big step towards breaking bad habits!

Once we’ve acknowledged something that we’re doing wrong we can work twice as hard and focus on making it better. For example, one of our students here at Julian Chemistry told us that when she studied during her coursework she would often find herself wasting the first hour or two of her time on social media browsing via her phone or computer.

This distraction is just one example of something that can become a bad habit and negatively affect our performance in the course. At the advice of her chemistry tutor, she rid herself of any distracting devices during studying and was able to slowly but gradually beat that bad habit! Think about which habits negatively affect your success in the course and find ways to rid yourself of them.

What to do Before, During and After Class

Succeeding in a mastery of material, especially at A Level Chemistry, can be broken down into three parts: Before, During and After.

Before

Prior to start of the curriculum, skim the syllabus so that you know what to expect. This can take five minutes and a constant reading of the syllabus will remind you of what you have learned and what is coming up.

Before each class, you should read and/or glance over any book chapters, slides or pre-released presentation notes that will get you primed for the days material. We believe in taking advantage of the materials in front of us and find it much easier to learn a concept if we’ve seen it before (even for a second, or the ten minutes before class begins).

During

Learn how you take notes best. Focus on the words and concepts that are taught and write notes that will benefit you the most when you return to study them later on.

Being clear and concise will make it easier to revisit certain topics, and make sure to make note of anything that confused you. You may even consider recording verbal lectures (with permission from your lecturer). The lecture and presentation of material is the cornerstone of the course and paying the appropriate amount of attention and note-taking during this part will set you up for success.

If you have questions, ensure they are answered during class or shortly after. This guarantees that you study the correct concepts the way your lecturer intends you to instead of trying to teach yourself the topic days later.

After

We suggest rereading your notes the day-of to keep concepts fresh and in your mind. Recall that each lecture will continue building on topics you learned previously which reminds us why the fundamentals are so important. Set aside an hour or two nightly to reread (or rewrite, if needed) your notes. This repetition reinforces the concepts and you may surprise yourself with what you already know! Ideas like the Spacing Effect allow your brain to familiarise itself with a subject and revisit a day or two later for further reinforcement. Read more about the utilisation of this popular technique in preparing for your chemistry tests here.

Our goal at Julian Chemistry is to help you succeed in A Level Chemistry. This article is designed as a broad guide to help A Level Chemistry students in Singapore stay focused on their coursework and prevent them from growing overwhelmed with the amount of studying required. We see our successful students follow the previously described tips and demonstrate a mastery of the core fundamentals as well as healthy study and note-taking habits. Stay tuned for more articles that delve deeper into the specifics of studying and note-taking, as well as A Level Chemistry topics.

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Over the course of the years, Singapore has been known for its strong performance in international assessments of learning, according to OECD’s PISA report in 2015. The report highlights how Singapore’s education system is focused on understanding and improving assessment and feedback in higher learning.

According to the report, the higher rate of educational development can be seen in every 1 out 4 children at the age of 15 years, especially in the Sciences. With established professional learning techniques that entail computer visualization across the nation, educational divisions in GCE “O” and “A” level  has delivered resilient and competitive students. Statistics from the MOE Singapore show that only around forty percent of students from all programmes can gain admission into local universities every year.

As a result, ‘A’ level students must compete with their fellow students, students from polytechnics and international students for these few admission spaces. For those of you who wish to excel and beat the competition in the A level Chemistry exams, there are a few smart and efficient ways of studying that you could adopt. As experienced educators ourselves from running our own A level chemistry tuition centre, coupled with past experience as teachers and lecturers with deep knowledge of the requirements of A level Chemistry exams, we have summarized five ways to polish your studying techniques to prepare for your exams.

Making Use of The Spacing Effect

Highlighting of text is one of the common methods used to briefly study important information. However, students often end up highlighting most of the text, especially if it contains new information. This technique seems to work for some while for others, it is counter productive.

However, do not fret as crushing that exam simply requires finding the right technique for retaining important information. One such technique top students use relies on the “Spacing Effect” – a phenomenon that has been the subject of various studies.

The spacing effect refers to a learning phenomenon which involves exposing your brain to new information then giving it one or two days before reviewing the same information. Naturally, our brain does not form a network of associations for all the information it processes in one session. Therefore, as opposed to studying the same information in a single session, a 24-hour interval between study sessions increases long-term memory retention.

This way, you are able to focus more on the information that your brain is reviewing one day at a time, which produces a higher success score. This is why you may have had a difficult time remembering the information that you had memorized in one session before a test. Therefore, if you have an upcoming test or exam in a week, read the new information on the first day, and then review it every day until the day of the exam.

Make technology your best friend

The internet has connected us globally, giving us instantaneous access to a huge wealth of information and also the opportunity to interact with other people online. As an ‘A’ level chemistry student, there are social networking sites with platforms created for asking questions such as Quora, Facebook groups and various other learning applications, both free and paid.

Using these platforms will help you to engage with other users across the globe and therefore find out about different approaches used to solve different problems. Also, there are learning models such as the ‘flipped classroom’, which has a blended learning approach instead of the usual conventional instruction based approach.  This learning model gives students the chance to arm themselves with the resources they need to do their homework with using technology.

One of the resources available for students includes pre-recorded videos. Students are able to watch, pause, rewind, Google terms while watching pre-recorded videos at home, then come to school with some background knowledge to do the homework. Evidence that the ‘flipped classroom’ model works is the existence of Schoology, Vodcasting, Glow, Wiki, Edmodo, TED, Khan Academy and YouTube where teachers are creating educational videos. As an ‘A’ level chemistry student, you can choose to sign up for these learning platforms that deal with the topics which you don’t understand fully.

Relate what you are reading to what you already know

A significant percentage of students who do well in Chemistry basically have a passion for this subject. Doing well in Chemistry requires a certain level of intrigue and enthusiasm to enable you to truly understand concepts such as Chemical bonding instead of merely memorizing facts.

With a specific end goal to build up the enthusiasm for ‘A’ level chemistry subjects, one can discover things that will enable them to comprehend concepts in the least complex way.  For example, if you do not understand chemical bonding, it will be easier for you to find visualization software, or videos with demonstrations that explain the concepts. You can also use structural models to help you make sense of the bonding. In doing so, you not only gain more ground into the topic, but you also cultivate a culture of understanding and not just merely memorizing.

Effective note taking

As an ‘A’ level chemistry student, the goal of note taking is to help you recall the information that you have read. It is not uncommon to see students with large chunks of self-written notes for the various subjects that they are studying. The note taking process can be tedious for most students as mentioned earlier, with the bulk of students highlighting and recopying most of the information that they have received.

We propose a more effective way of taking notes for Chemistry, known as the Cornell Note-taking system. This system of note taking involves dividing the notes into columns, which enables a more organized view of the main points of the lecture, also helping students to review the information for tests more easily. This technique can be applied during a lecture or during self study with a textbook.

On the note paper, there would be three sections named, the cue column (concise summaries of ideas and facts), the note taking column (for recording details of the lecture) and the summary (space left at bottom to write a summary of the whole lecture).

There are 5 quick steps while applying the Cornell note taking system. It includes recording concise sentences of the lecture details via the note taking column, formulating questions based on the notes in the right hand column and including it in the left hand cue column, reciting the note taking column and answering the questions, after which the user has to reflect on the material and lastly, review the notes at the end of every week to continue to retain the information that he/she has learnt.

Seek coaching from Professional Chemistry tutors

Joining a professional tuition centre that provides Chemistry lessons with excellent qualities will be a plus for you. Here at Julian Chemistry, we help you stay on top of your game by using a tailored and proven approach that deepens your understanding of Chemistry. We also have a self-developed answering technique known as ART which engages your thinking during the answering of questions.

It is with our understanding that a student wants notes that are simple, comprehensive and relevant. Therefore, our accredited chemistry tutor, Julian Tan breaks down complex theories, formulas and models. He also has an engaging personality which makes the curriculum easy to follow. Above all, maximizing your potential and having fun while at it is our uttermost priority.

Above all, interest and passion are crucial factors that determine the results of your A level chemistry exams. At Julian Chemistry, we understand that every student has their weakness and strengths in the field of Chemistry.

Therefore, our aim is to discuss your weak points by providing tailored and personalized help which touches on the five points mentioned above. Once we are done, you will be able to solve challenging Chemistry problems with tact and confidence. For more information on our holistic approach to chemistry as a discipline, contact us today.

References

OECD PISA report (2015)

Neurogenesis and the Spacing Effect (2007), PubMed Central

Cornell Note-Taking system(n.d.), Santiago Canyon College STEM

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In a country where much significance is placed on Science and Technology, an average Singaporean student is quickly introduced to the sciences from the early stages of primary school. Due to the hectic nature of the school timetable, many students may not have mastered the foundations of Chemistry as well as they have liked, instead opting to memorise information they read from the textbooks. This technique might suffice in the beginning, but as the student progresses to Chemistry at the advanced level, they may struggle and even develop a phobia of Chemistry because they find chemical equations and experiments difficult to understand.

On the contrary, Chemistry is easy if the basic principles are properly taught and understood. For instance, one of the topics chemistry students often find difficult early on is the study of Redox reactions. The equations might appear complex at first glance, but before worrying about the reactants and products of a redox equation and trying to balance the equation from there, students should have a prior basic knowledge of ions, cations, anions, electropositivity, electronegativity, oxidation and reduction. From then on it is simply about following a fixed set of steps of adjusting the coefficients and balancing the atoms and charges.

In recent years, more students and parents are starting to realise that in order to truly excel in Chemistry at both the O and A levels, professional assistance and tutoring outside of school is necessary. Tuition centres are becoming widespread in Singapore and therefore we have presented a few pointers on choosing the right Chemistry tuition centre to help people make an informed decision.

Academic background and teaching experience

They say that a student is only as good as their teacher. A good teacher can have an immense impact on the learning experience of the student. While there are many Chemistry tuition centres with tutors branding themselves as trained teachers, one would have to scrutinize the academic background and relevant teaching experience of the tutor to fully understand if the tutor would meet the needs of the student seeking Chemistry tuition. This is because their teaching accreditations might not be subject specific to O and A level chemistry in Singapore. Moreover, most overseas teaching certifications are not applicable to the Singapore syllabus and are not recognised by MOE.

It would thus be preferable and beneficial to find a tutor who has vast experience teaching Chemistry in schools at O level and A level with H1, H2 and H3 Chemistry as opposed to a new and inexperienced tutor or one who has teaching experience but not in these subjects.

A good rule of thumb for an experienced tutor is that the tutor needs to have at least 10 years of teaching experience. As a bonus, if the tuition centre provides a tutor that has a relevant degree to Chemistry or has a MOE scholarship, it is a sure sign of MOE approved teaching quality and techniques. Such tutors have prior knowledge of examiner guidelines and past year papers and questions that would be vital to the students’ success.

Performance of past students

An impressive resume is not much if the tutors are not able to deliver the results. As parents, we need to know the proven results of the past students that have been through the chemistry tuition programmes. Many tuition centres have grade improvement results shown publicly, which is a positive indicator of their teaching methods.

However, instead of just focusing on a student who improved his grade over one term, parents and students might want to look at the long run and pick up on where the past students of the Chemistry tuition centre have ended up studying at during university and how well they are doing currently. It is relatively attainable to improve grades in the short run, but to cultivate a passion for deep learning of the sciences that produces consistent results in Chemistry throughout the O and A levels all the way to university signifies a symbol of excellence only a handful of tutors could provide.

Environment for learning

What most parents and students don’t realise is that a lot of Chemistry tuition centres classes are set up exactly like the ones in school. They provide huge classes above (>25), and are presented in a one-way delivery manner. A Chemistry tuition centre session should not be a replacement class for students, it should not be a two hour repetitive lecture based on the topic that was just taught in school, instead it should be a place where there is opportunity to clarify questions and to learn beyond what is stated in the textbook. Individual consultations are important, so are concise notes which should be provided so that students do not have to spend time copying notes again.

In addition, students from IP schools start earlier than O level students and cover more advanced topics for their exams, so if they rely on Chemistry tuition centres that run their classes disjointed to the IP H2 Chemistry curriculum, they will most probably feel overwhelmed because it is almost like studying an extra subject, trying to balance learning different topics at the same time. This is neither efficient nor advantageous for the learner. It is advisable for parents and students to seek Chemistry tuition centres which are able to provide classes that can work in tandem with the student’s enriched curriculum.

Style of teaching

The best Chemistry tuition centres focus on maximum personalized attention from the tutor. What is needed is a clear, concise and systematic way of explaining the key concepts related to the topic so that there is minimal requirement for pure memory of the all the information. Parents should look for Chemistry tutors who are more interested in enabling the students to understand the topics because that is the only way to get them interested and fascinated in Chemistry. Last of all, experience in the field of teaching Chemistry also adds to the versatility of the teaching methods and styles, allowing the tutor to cater to the demands of both the faster and slower students.

By Julian Chemistry

References 1. Teacher Education & Teaching Profession in Singapore (PDF Download Available). Available from: http://ift.tt/2utXQjp [Accessed Jul 7, 2017]. 2. Chemical Education In Singapore. Available from: http://ift.tt/2taEUSS. [Accessed Jul 7, 2017].

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