Sixth year Medical Student with a Bachelor's degree in Biology teaching all Medical Disciplines (Physiology, Pathology, Microbiology, Anatomy...)

Learn more about Ali

• When did you develop an interest in your chosen field and in private tutoring?

  My passion for Biology has started in elementary school studying the Sciences course. I was amazed each time I learnt a new detail about the human body, which had driven me to seek a Bachelor's Degree in Biology. After that, Medicine became my passion, interested to learn about the physiology of the human body, and the pathology of the organs.
  I enjoyed teaching others since High School, where I used to explain Biology concepts to my friends, helping them do well on tests.

• Tell us more about the subject you teach, the topics you like to discuss with students (and possibly those you like a little less).

  I teach all Biology related subjects to students starting from School to Undergraduate courses. To name a few, my favorite subjects are Anatomy, Physiology, and Pathology!

• Did you have any role models; a teacher that inspired you?

  My Biology School teacher played a main role in my passion for the material. He used a fun but educational style of teaching to make us fall in love with Biology. During my Bachelor's degree, my Microbiology Doctor was someone to look up to, having great teaching skills and a wide base of knowledge.

• What do you think are the qualities required to be a good tutor?

  Not every doctor can be a good tutor, even if they had the most knowledge. Being a tutor requires several things, including a friendly approach for the student to feel relaxed, a good base of knowledge to gain trust, and dedication to the student to work together on achieving realistic goals. Being a tutor means feeling with the student, having their benefit in heart, and working seriously to deserve the confidence they set in you helping them ace exams.

• Provide a valuable anecdote related to your subject or your days at school.

  Back when I was doing my Bachelor's Degree, I volunteered in an organization teaching Biology to grades 8 and 9 students from underprivileged communities. I could see myself sitting in their chairs back when I was in that grade, and yet I was the teacher. This experience led me to have a better understanding of the student-teacher relationship, the trust and respect the students have for their teacher, and the care and love the teacher has for the students. Here I realized how a teacher plays an essential role in whether the student would like a certain course or not, as by the end of the course, many of them expressed their gratitude and interest in seeking a degree in Biology and Medicine!

• What were the difficulties or challenges you faced or still facing in your subject?

  Biology is a well-studied subject, and the load of information that a student seeking a Biology degree is exposed to is very dense; it's even bigger now as a medical student. So the main challenge that I face, and that every student faces is time management. This is why it is important to plan your study schedule ahead of the exams, ask for help if needed, make sure to study on a daily basis, and give yourself enough breaks to avoid a breakdown.

• Do you have a particular passion? Is it teaching in general or an element of the subject or something completely different?

  As stated above, I have a passion for teaching Biology. Also, I have a passion for any team sport, mainly Basketball, as I enjoy working in a group and monitoring the progress of the team, same way I enjoy working with my students as a team and enhancing the grades and knowledge!

• What makes you a Superprof (besides answering this interview questions :-P)?

  All good teachers should have the skills I discussed in number four, otherwise the student would not be encouraged to continue with them. I guess the one more thing that makes me a better teacher than others is interaction with my students. I consider my students to be my friends, discussing things they might want to talk about, like struggles in classes for instance, listening carefully to what they have to say. I make sure to let them understand all the concepts, even if I had to repeat them several times, I would do so gladly, and would ask them to repeat what they understood after finishing. I think this is what makes some teachers stand out from the rest.