Devesh Verma

I am a PhD student at Cambridge studying Earth Sciences on a Cambridge Trust International Scholarship. I love teaching as much as I love science and maths. I have been teaching for about seven years now in various capacities. I have studied maths and science at school and through university for my bachelor's and master's degrees. In college, I studied chemistry, maths and physics before specialising in Earth sciences (geology, geochemistry), spending over eight years studying the subject by now.

As a PhD student, I have led undergraduate practical teaching sessions at Cambridge. In addition, I have designed and delivered short summer courses covering the basics of Earth and climate sciences for A-level students from around the world. On multiple occasions, I have delivered popular maths sessions to sixth-form students for my college at Cambridge. During my undergraduate days, I have coordinated and conducted popular science sessions for over 50 students as well as tutoring students one-on-one.

My teaching methodology involves a thorough discussion of the concept in the context of its history, development, and significance. I like to use engaging audio-visual tools, including open-access online tools, as well as practice drills to enable an in-depth appreciation of concepts by my students. I conduct discussion-style lessons instead of continuous content delivery to engage my students' critical thinking and I encourage questioning my own knowledge. I also assign homework ranging from practice problems to short essays and reports, emphasising on how to secure credible information. An overarching theme of my lessons is to inculcate a deep understanding of the scientific method and logical reasoning in my students.