Justin Palfreyman

Socrates realised that true wisdom is knowing you know nothing at all. The socratic method earned him a death-sentence because he made Athenian wise men look foolish by repeatedly asking them "why" until they cracked and realised they couldn't explain/justify their "beliefs". They didn't appreciate that this was great preparation for university interviews!

I focus on enhancing this approach to guide students to question their assumptions, identifying misconceptions through cognitive conflict, which makes corrective thinking really impactful.

I encourage students to get off the fence and take risks through carefully selected conceptual questions and when they become open and comfortable with their mistakes, that's when they are able to adopt a growth mindset, think like a scientist and achieve deeper and long-lasting learning.

Unlike many textbooks, I'll rarely present scientific laws as statements to be accepted with no background information. I encourage and embed curiosity in my students, and I light up when they ask "but how was that discovered?" Having written a lecture series on the History of Science, I am uniquely placed to tell the stories of hundreds of philosophers and scientists and set up the context that led to key experiments and discoveries.

My priority is to get students hooked on the beauty of the physical world and take enjoyment in understanding how nature works. When we are ready to tackle exam questions, my 13+ years working as a (principal) examiner allows me to share a behind-the-scenes approach to break down the questions and get in the head of the examiner.