Paul Shephard

I try to make my classes as engaging as possible using various media, such as PowerPoint slides, videos, animated demos, software demos, and web resources. I'm a great believer in hands-on astronomy so my lessons include many demos and post-lesson activities so that the students can put what they learn into practice. I also advocate that the students can email me anytime when they have a question so that they don't feel that they are restricted to just the session time.

I teach Astronomy at many levels including Absolute Beginner, Intermediate, and for formal qualifications such as GCSE, and A-level. I also offer topic-specific courses such as 'practical astronomy', 'Stellar Evolution', 'The Solar System', 'Solar Astronomy', and 'Galaxies and Cosmology' to name but a few.

My lessons tend to be informal and conversational in style because I like the students to interact and feel comfortable with voicing their interpretations and opinions on the content of each session. I can present the sessions as more of a 'lecture style' if the students are happy and more comfortable to simply listen and take notes for example. However, I always provide 'session notes' after each session that summarise what we covered, plus exercises, activities, and resource links where appropriate.