Mechanical Engineer In Training (EIT) experienced in teaching high school Math, Physics, Chemistry and AP course prep in Toronto

Find out more about Md Imran, MSc, EIT

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

  I began teaching my younger brother Math and Physics at the age of 18. He
  was talented back then as he is now but he lacked the discipline to follow
  through on his homework assignments. Even with private tuition, his grades
  didn’t improve much at the time, and as a result I decided to step in. In
  two months of teaching him, I stumbled across the Goldilocks Rule for
  mentoring. You see, he wasn’t motivated to solve problems when he was bored
  and as a result his efficiency faltered greatly. His motivation really
  peaked when he was working on tasks that were right at the edge of his
  current abilities. With this wisdom at hand, I was able to devise questions
  that pushed his cognitive abilities to the limit. Solving these advanced
  problems sets enabled a real sense of accomplishment and personal
  enlightenment for him that ultimately transpired to him scoring
  straight-A’s in his GCE Ordinary and Advanced Level exams. And it was there
  that I fell in love with teaching. I had taught him to embrace his boredom
  and found ways for him to be constantly fascinated by the subject he was
  learning.

• What makes you passionate about your subject?

  At its core, I believe that teaching resembles craftsmanship. Whereas a
  craftsman uses their bare hands to create a flower vase from clay, for
  instance, I see myself as someone who marshals one’s resources to dismantle
  mental blocks to learning. In doing so, I create ideas and constructs to
  facilitate understanding seemingly convoluted concepts. And to cement these
  ideas, I develop customized worksheets and note packages that help students
  achieve mastery in a short amount of time. The deliberate practice
  associated with solving these problem sets push their cognitive boundaries
  to the edge, which is vital for clarity and deep-level understanding.
  Between the 150+ students that I've instructed at the International Turkish
  Hope School and the countless others that I've tutored personally, this
  battle-hardened approach enables my students to systematically solve the
  toughest of problems and score consistently in the high 90’s in exams, all
  the while avoiding the grind. And this is what motivates me to keep going.
  Being a small part of their success journeys is what I’m truly passionate
  about.

• What do you like about tutoring? What makes you a "Superprof"?

  I love the creativity that comes with teaching and the kick I get after
  solving tough problems that dwell in my mind. It fascinates me, it pushes
  me to dig deeper, to be just a little bit better at explaining than how I
  did yesterday. Because I’m learning and relearning constantly, I try to
  make the lectures insightful, fun and engaging and I’m more than willing to
  share secrets that have worked for me. Soon after, I place the students in
  the hot seat: I ask them difficult questions but I give them ample hints
  and tools to get back with an answer. At first, they are skeptical, but
  after they solve it, they feel genuinely happy and accomplished. And that
  is where the magic happens. Students are more than what they think they are
  and this realisation is certainly enlightening. To answer the second part
  of your question, I wouldn’t necessarily place a title on myself like
  ‘Superprof’, but I can say this: when my students achieve, I achieve. When
  they win, I win. I'm always there with them, rooting for their victory!

• Do you have any role models; a teacher that inspired you? Please explain.

  I’ve had the distinct honor of being mentored by some of the best
  instructors at the University of Alberta, from MIT scholars to Princeton-educated academics. But there is one person in particular that stands out
  above the rest, my academic supervisor, who completed his Post-Doctorate in
  Applied Math from MIT. He is without a shadow of a doubt, the highest
  quality instructor at the University of Alberta and it was an absolute
  privilege to see him on the podium, transforming seemingly dull
  mathematical equations in fluid mechanics into actionable tools for serious
  use. His lectures border on one thing: a quest for absolute clarity, a
  quality that I strive to achieve with every lesson.

• What are your keys to success?

  Here are my top tips for focussed success:
  
  Rule #1. Work Deeply – prioritize active recall over shallow work
  
  Rule #2. Declare War on Procrastination – Build robust work routines
  
  Rule #3. Study without Distractions – maximize your intensity of focus
  
  Rule #4: Ask a lot of questions!