[This is a sponsored article with Chemistry Guru.]
For many of us, tuition is part and parcel of our schooling lives, as sometimes we need a little (or a lot more) help to get good at a topic outside of regular classrooms.
However, tuition might be inaccessible for some students due to its cost and time demands.
Back in the 2010s, Maverick Puah, also known as Chemistry Guru, wondered about our landscape: Why is online learning for academic subjects not a norm in Singapore?
“If you’re a teenager playing an online game and you need advice to clear a stage or defeat a difficult boss, you go to YouTube and watch a guide or walkthrough video,” he observed. “But if you have difficulty with your maths or chemistry, why is there no guide or walkthrough video on YouTube?”
Inspired by this idea, the former government school teacher with a chemistry degree expanded his tuition lessons to YouTube. He offers free classes for students tackling H2 Level chemistry in A Levels and Junior College.
Since launching Chemistry Guru’s YouTube channel in 2014, he has attracted over 17,000 subscribers. Maverick uploads videos monthly, in addition to running physical classes at his centre in Bishan, Singapore.
Blending online and offline teaching methods
Chemistry Guru offers several tuition services to A Levels and Junior College students:
| Type of class | Cost |
| Physical classes | S$360 per four-week month |
| Live online lessons via Zoom | S$280 per four-week month |
| On-demand video lessons | S$100-$350 depending on levels and topics |
| Short walkthrough videos on YouTube | Free |
Through a combination of these learning methods, Maverick reported that up to 80% of his students achieve distinctions in their A Level H2 chemistry exams.
He does this by ensuring that students remain focused throughout his classes, whether online or offline.
To test your understanding of the session’s topics, Maverick will put you through short quizzes on Kahoot!
If you have any additional questions on the lesson, you can consult him via WhatsApp outside class time to minimise disruption.
Lessons are kept simple to build your confidence in basic concepts and foundations in chemistry, complementing school teachings.
You’ll also receive weekly assignments to attempt on your own, gradually building your content knowledge. Before major exams, you can join Chemistry Guru’s revision classes to recap important topics.
Open knowledge sharing is key
Singapore is saturated with tuition centres, but throughout Maverick’s nearly two decades as a junior college-level educator, he’s found that few tutors are willing to share their knowledge openly online.
“In Singapore, the knowledge is like a guarded secret and students need to pay to access that,” he shared.
Online lessons allow students who cannot afford tuition to learn for free, while those who can afford it can view the lessons as a “trial” to decide if the tutor’s teaching style suits them.
Tutors can also save on rent and operating costs by teaching online. It’s a way to reach more students, instead of handing out flyers that may get tossed away seconds later.
“[Online methods] may not totally replace physical lessons, but can definitely complement them,” Maverick noted.
While Maverick is hopeful that online education will become the standard someday, he is aware that most students and parents currently prefer physical classes.
For now, he sees his YouTube channel as an avenue to build Chemistry Guru’s brand presence in the market, and showcase his commitment to teaching for the long term. In fact, Maverick shared that his YouTube classes have reached students in Malaysia, India, and the US.
With a passion for teaching, Maverick has always operated Chemistry Guru to be a teacher first, and a businessman second.
Featured Image Credit: Maverick Puah, founder of Chemistry Guru