Our Teaching Methodology
Most physics tuition follows the same formula: memorise the formula, drill past-year papers, repeat. We take a path grounded in cognitive science, cross-domain thinking, and over 20 years of proven results.
Teach to the Cognitive Profile
Our methodology is built on Howard Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences (MI Theory) — the idea that every student has a unique cognitive profile, and that teaching to only one type of intelligence (typically logical-mathematical) leaves most students behind.
When you teach Physics through multiple cognitive channels, understanding becomes lasting. When you train the same thinking muscles through Chess strategy, those skills carry across every subject and career.
What Is Multiple Intelligences Theory?
Proposed in 1983 by Howard Gardner (Harvard), human intelligence is a spectrum of distinct abilities. Traditional tuition leans entirely on logical-mathematical. We engage them all.
Logical-Mathematical
Reasoning, pattern recognition, and structured abstract thinking.
Visual-Spatial
Visualising objects and field relationships in three dimensions.
Linguistic
Communicating precisely and decoding exam question phrasing.
Bodily-Kinaesthetic
Learning through physical experiments, model-building, and movement.
Musical
Recognising rhythm, repeating patterns, and logical wave structures.
Interpersonal
Understanding others and collaborative scientific reasoning.
Intrapersonal
Self-awareness, self-correction, and metacognitive reflection.
Naturalistic
Recognising systems and patterns in the natural physical world.
"Mr. Chew's insight, backed by 20 years of teaching, is that students who struggle in physics are victims of a pedagogical failure, not a student failure."
How MI Theory Applies to Physics at Our Centre
Here is how MI Theory manifests in a typical Physics lesson with Mr. Chew:
Spatial Learning
Instead of describing Kinematics abstractly, we draw velocity-time graphs as visual stories. The area under a graph is not a formula to memorise — it is a picture you can read.
Linguistic Deconstruction
Singapore Physics exam questions are precisely worded. We teach students to read questions the way a lawyer reads a contract: every word is intentional, every qualifier matters.
Logical Sequencing
Rather than jumping to the answer, we build reasoning chains. A student who can articulate why a circuit behaves a certain way will never blank on a variant question they have not seen before.
Metacognitive Reflection
After every problem set, students ask: 'What went wrong in your first approach? What would you do differently?' Tracing error patterns builds self-correction skills.
The Chess Connection:
Why We Teach Physics & Chess Together
Most parents are surprised to learn that Mr. Chew is also a FIDE-certified International Chess Instructor — the same certification body that governs world-level chess coaching.
Chess is, at its core, a system for training exactly the cognitive skills that Physics demands:
- Foresight — anticipating consequences several steps ahead (mechanics, circuits)
- Pattern recognition — identifying recurring structures in new exam questions
- Decision-making under constraints — choosing the best move under limited exam time
- Resilience & self-correction — analysing errors without giving up
At Physics Made Easy, chess is not a hobby. Students who train chess alongside Physics consistently show faster improvement in problem-solving speed and accuracy in their Physics papers.
The Mr. Chew Difference: Credentials That Matter
Our methodology is supported by Mr. Chew Kok Mun's unique combination of credentials.
Ex-MOE & NIE Trained
PSC Teaching Scholar and NIE-trained educator with NUS Minors in Math and English Linguistics for precise communication.
International Chess Coach
FIDE International Chess Instructor certificate with competitive experience at national schools level.
20+ Years Track Record
Over 1000+ students mentored. Audited 2001–2025 results: 95% O-Level A1/A2, 95% IB Grade 7, 80% A-Level H2 A/B.
Who Benefits Most From This Approach
Students who have tried standard tuition and stalled
International school students (IB, IGCSE) demanding deep conceptual mastery
Students who feel physics is 'not for them' because of single-channel instruction
High-achieving students aiming for Grade 7/A1 who need a metacognitive edge