View Profile

What’s your name?

I’m Mr. Lim Yeong Yew, but more commonly known as Mr. Calvin Lim.

What’s your teaching experience?

I have been teaching the Singapore-Cambridge A Level syllabus since 2004, with my first school being the then Meridian Junior College (now merged into Tampines-Meridian JC). In my teaching stint till 2015, I was also a Curriculum Planning Officer in charge of the H2 Chemistry syllabus review, as a well as a Subject Head in Chemistry and Science Education, so I am very familiar with the H syllabuses. From 2015 onwards, I became a private tutor with an education start-up, as well as private school and centres such as MDIS College.

What qualifications do you have? (Bachelor’s in education, CELTA, TESOL, etc) 

I read Chemistry at the undergraduate level, earning my First Class Honors for BSc, as well as did a Masters in Research on the subject afterwards.  Being an ex-MOE teacher, I have a Postgraduate Diploma in Education (Credit) at NIE.

How do you teach that helps students learn efficiently?

A level Chemistry is a much more conceptual subject than at the O levels or equivalent. So I engage and scaffold my students to ensure that they master the mental models or fundamental concepts of each topic well.

Immersive discussion and discourse is thus important in concept building, so talking about the chemistry (and how/why it works!) ensure an interactive lesson. Of course, there would be sharing of mental tools and shortcuts, but hey, learning is about the learning constructing their own ideas about the concept!

There are of course many opportunities to practice applying the mental concepts that we learn, be it in assessment questions or questions pertaining to everyday life!

Why do you enjoy teaching?

I certainly do not expect every student become a chemist or earn a Ph.D. in a chemical field. But I enjoy engaging students in letting them realize that every subject, including Chemistry, is just a different lens through which you view the world. For Chemistry, it is just that this view of the world starts from this microscopic/particulate view.

Chemistry is thus just not simply a subject to earn a grade, but one that perhaps lets you in on how we might understand and better this interesting world we live in.

What’s one fun fact about you?

I am big on listening to audiobooks, and watching informative videos online (read: Khan Academy, Crash Courses, Great Courses). I love the Harry Potter world, and well, a Potions class is just simply a Chemistry class from the fantasy or ancient world.