Finding Better Ways to Teach: The Work Behind the Lesson
The lesson the student sees is only the final version. Most of the work happens before they arrive.
A student walks into a lesson, sits down, opens a notebook, and sees perhaps an exam question, a diagram, a practical experiment, a video clip, or a worked example on the screen.
What they do not usually see is the thinking that has gone on beforehand.
They do not see the question choices rejected because they were too easy, too obscure, or not quite right for that student. They do not see the diagram redrawn three times because the first version explained the idea but did not make the misconception obvious. They do not see the practical apparatus checked, the camera angle adjusted, the worksheet rewritten, or the alternative explanation prepared just in case the first one does not land.
Teaching, at its best, is not simply delivering information. It is designing a route through confusion.
At Philip M Russell Ltd, much of our work is about finding better ways to help students understand difficult ideas, gain confidence, and become more independent learners. The visible lesson is important, of course, but the real craft often lies in the preparation, the flexibility, and the careful decisions made during the lesson itself.
No Two Students Learn in Exactly the Same Way
One of the great mistakes in education is to imagine that there is one perfect explanation.
There isn’t.
There may be a good explanation for one student, a better diagram for another, a practical demonstration that suddenly makes sense to a third, and a worked example that helps a fourth student realise where they have been going wrong.
Some students need to see the whole picture first. Others need each tiny step broken down carefully. Some are confident but make careless algebraic errors. Others know far more than they think they do, but panic when they see an exam question. Some students are visual learners, some respond well to practical work, and some only really understand once they have tried a question, got stuck, and then talked through the mistake.
This is why one-to-one teaching is so powerful.
In a classroom of thirty, the teacher has to aim at the middle while helping as many students as possible. In individual tuition, the lesson can be adjusted minute by minute.
If a student already understands the basics, we can move faster. If they are missing a key idea from two years ago, we can stop and repair the foundation. If they are anxious, we can slow the pace and rebuild confidence. If they are capable but disorganised, we can focus on structure, exam technique and habits.
The aim is not simply to cover the syllabus. The aim is to help the student actually understand it.
Diagrams: Turning Abstract Ideas into Something Visible
Many difficult topics become easier once they are made visible.
In physics, a force diagram can transform a confusing mechanics question into something manageable. In chemistry, a particle diagram can explain why pressure increases, why a reaction rate changes, or why an ionic compound conducts when molten but not when solid. In biology, a clear diagram of the heart, kidney, lung or cell membrane can stop a paragraph of words becoming a fog.
A good diagram does more than decorate the page. It organises thinking.
For example, when teaching electricity, it is very easy for students to memorise formulae without understanding what is happening in a circuit. Drawing the circuit, marking the current, showing potential difference, and then linking the diagram to the equation helps students see the relationship between the physical system and the calculation.
Similarly, in chemistry, an energy profile diagram can help students distinguish between exothermic and endothermic reactions. Rather than simply saying, “energy is given out” or “energy is taken in,” the student can see the relative energy of reactants and products and understand what the arrows actually mean.
A diagram is often the bridge between “I’ve heard this before” and “I understand it now.”
Live Experiments: Making Learning Real
One of the advantages of having a dedicated teaching laboratory is that science does not have to remain trapped on a worksheet.
Live experiments bring subjects to life.
A student can read about resistance in a wire, but actually measuring how resistance changes with length makes the idea more memorable. They can learn about rates of reaction from a textbook, but watching gas being produced, timing the reaction, and plotting the results turns the topic into something real. They can revise osmosis from notes, but seeing potato cylinders change mass makes the process less abstract.
Practical work also reveals misconceptions very quickly.
A student may think they understand variables until they have to decide what to keep constant. They may think they understand accuracy until their repeat readings do not match. They may know the word “gradient” but struggle when asked what the gradient of a graph actually means in the experiment.
That is where the real teaching happens.
The experiment is not just a demonstration. It is a conversation starter. It gives the student something to observe, question, measure, explain and evaluate.
And sometimes, of course, it also gives us the occasional unexpected result — because real apparatus has a sense of humour. That can be useful too. Students need to know that science is not always as neat as the textbook diagram.
Video, Cameras and Technology: Teaching Beyond the Whiteboard
Philip M Russell Ltd combines teaching with media production because video can add something powerful to a lesson.
A camera can show a close-up view of an experiment that would be difficult to see from across a room. A visualiser can display a worked example as it is being written. A recorded explanation can be reused for revision. A slow-motion clip can make motion, waves or collisions easier to analyse. A microscope camera can turn a tiny biological specimen into something a student can examine clearly on a screen.
Technology is not used for the sake of looking modern. It has to serve the learning.
The question is always: does this help the student understand better?
Sometimes the best tool is a high-quality camera. Sometimes it is a graphing calculator. Sometimes it is a simulation. Sometimes it is a whiteboard and a pen. Sometimes it is simply asking the right question and then waiting long enough for the student to think.
Good teaching is not about replacing the teacher with technology. It is about using technology to make the teacher more effective.
Worked Examples: Showing the Thinking, Not Just the Answer
Many students struggle with exam questions not because they know nothing, but because they do not know how to start.
A worked example is not just a completed answer. It is a model of thinking.
When solving a maths problem, for example, the important part is not only the final line. It is the decision-making:
- What information have we been given?
- What is the question actually asking?
- Which equation or method is appropriate?
- What should be written down first?
- How do we check whether the answer is sensible?
In science, the same principle applies. A calculation involving moles, energy, pressure, speed, moments or electricity can feel overwhelming if the student sees it as a wall of numbers. Breaking it into stages makes it manageable.
A good worked example also shows students how to write clearly.
This matters because exam marks are not awarded for vague understanding floating around in the student’s head. They are awarded for what appears on the page.
Students need to see how to set out calculations, define terms, use units, label diagrams, structure explanations and avoid common traps.
The goal is not for the student to admire the teacher’s solution. The goal is for the student to be able to produce their own.
Questioning: Finding Out What the Student Really Understands
One of the most important teaching tools is not a camera, a worksheet, a laboratory or a computer.
It is a question.
A carefully chosen question can reveal far more than a test score. It can show whether a student is guessing, memorising, misunderstanding, or genuinely reasoning.
For example, a student may correctly state that enzymes are denatured at high temperatures. But if asked, “What has actually changed about the enzyme?” they may reveal whether they understand the active site and protein structure.
A student may use the equation F = ma correctly in one question, but a follow-up question may show whether they understand the difference between mass and weight.
A student may know that an exothermic reaction releases energy, but asking them to draw the energy level diagram may reveal whether they can connect the words to the model.
Questioning also helps students become more active learners. Instead of waiting to be told, they begin to predict, explain, compare and justify.
That is a major step forward.
Teaching Online Without Losing Interaction
Online teaching can be excellent — but only if it is designed properly.
A poor online lesson can become little more than a lecture through a screen. The student watches, nods occasionally, and slowly disappears mentally while still technically being present.
That is not good enough.
To teach online effectively, interaction has to be built into the lesson. Students need to answer questions, attempt problems, annotate diagrams, explain their reasoning, watch demonstrations, and share where they are stuck.
Using cameras, visualisers, screen sharing, digital notes and live worked examples helps make online lessons more active. A student can still see calculations being built up step by step. They can still look closely at practical demonstrations. They can still receive notes afterwards. They can still be questioned, challenged and supported.
The key is to avoid treating online teaching as a weaker version of face-to-face teaching.
It is different. It has strengths of its own.
For some students, online learning reduces travel stress and makes lessons easier to fit into a busy week. For others, being in their own home helps them feel more comfortable. With the right setup, online teaching can still be personal, responsive and highly interactive.
Spotting Misconceptions Quickly
Misconceptions are not always obvious.
A student may give the right answer for the wrong reason. They may use a memorised phrase that sounds scientific but does not quite mean anything. They may complete a calculation by copying a method without understanding why it works.
This is why lessons need to be diagnostic.
The teacher is constantly looking for clues:
A hesitation before choosing an equation.
A unit missed repeatedly.
A graph misread.
A definition learned by sound rather than meaning.
A student saying, “I get this,” while avoiding the next question.
Misconceptions are not failures. They are useful information.
Once spotted, they can be tackled directly.
For example, many students confuse current and voltage. Some think heavier objects fall faster because they are heavier. Some believe catalysts are used up in reactions. Some think the heart “adds oxygen” to blood rather than pumping it to the lungs for gas exchange. In maths, students may treat algebra like a collection of mysterious symbol tricks rather than a logical language.
The sooner these issues are found, the sooner they can be corrected.
That is one reason individual teaching can be so effective. There is time to notice, pause and rebuild.
Helping Students Become More Independent
The aim of tuition is not to make a student dependent on the tutor.
The aim is the opposite.
A successful student should gradually become more independent. They should learn how to approach unfamiliar questions, check their own work, identify weak areas, and revise effectively.
This means teaching more than subject content.
Students need strategies.
They need to know how to read a question carefully. They need to underline command words. They need to decide whether a question is asking for a calculation, an explanation, a comparison or an evaluation. They need to recognise when a graph, diagram, equation or definition might help.
They also need to learn how to deal with difficulty.
Getting stuck is not a disaster. It is part of learning. The important question is: what do you do next?
Do you reread the question?
Draw a diagram?
Write down what you know?
Identify the topic?
Look for a formula?
Try a simpler case?
Check the units?
These habits matter.
A student who can only answer familiar questions is vulnerable in an exam. A student who has learned how to think through unfamiliar problems is much better prepared.
Planned, But Flexible
The best lessons are planned, but flexible.
Planning matters because a lesson needs direction. The teacher needs to know the topic, the likely difficulties, the examples to use, the questions to ask and the intended outcome.
But rigid lessons can fail.
Sometimes a student arrives having struggled with homework. Sometimes a school test has gone badly. Sometimes a topic thought to be secure turns out to be shaky. Sometimes the planned activity is too easy, too difficult or simply not what the student needs that day.
Good teaching requires adjustment.
A planned lesson might begin with moments in physics, but quickly reveal that the real problem is rearranging equations. A biology revision lesson might uncover weak understanding of diffusion. A chemistry calculation session might need to pause for significant figures, units or balancing equations.
This does not mean the lesson has gone wrong. It means the lesson is responding to evidence.
The plan is the route map. The student’s understanding determines the actual journey.
Combining Teaching, Media and Technology
Philip M Russell Ltd is unusual because it brings together teaching, laboratory work, media production and technology.
That combination is valuable.
Teaching experience helps us know where students are likely to struggle. Laboratory equipment allows us to demonstrate science practically. Video production skills help us present ideas clearly. Technology allows lessons to be interactive, visual and flexible.
The result is a style of teaching that can move between explanation, demonstration, questioning, calculation, practical work and revision support.
A lesson might include a live experiment, a close-up camera view, a hand-drawn diagram, an exam question, a digital graph, a worked solution and a discussion about how to avoid a common mistake.
That mixture matters because students rarely learn best from one method alone.
They need to see it, hear it, try it, question it, practise it and apply it.
The Quiet Work Behind Better Teaching
A great deal of teaching improvement happens quietly.
It happens after a lesson when you think, “That explanation almost worked, but not quite.”
It happens when a student makes an unexpected mistake and you realise that a new worksheet is needed.
It happens when an exam board changes emphasis and resources need updating.
It happens when a practical demonstration could be clearer with a better camera angle.
It happens when a student’s question reveals a gap in the notes.
It happens when years of experience meet the simple fact that every learner is still different.
That is why good teaching resources are never really finished. Notes can be improved. Diagrams can be clearer. Exam questions can be better chosen. Explanations can be sharpened. Lessons can become more responsive.
Teaching is not a static skill. It is a craft that keeps developing.
Conclusion: Better Teaching Is Built Before, During and After the Lesson
The lesson the student sees may last an hour.
But the work behind that hour is much larger.
It includes planning, resource creation, practical preparation, technical setup, marking, reflection, adaptation and years of experience. It includes knowing the subject, but also knowing how students misunderstand it. It includes using diagrams, experiments, video, examples and questions in the right way at the right time.
Most importantly, it includes caring enough to keep improving.
At Philip M Russell Ltd, teaching is not simply about getting through content. It is about finding better ways to help students understand, remember, apply and grow in confidence.
A good lesson does not happen by accident.
It is built — carefully, thoughtfully and flexibly — around the student in front of us.
