Introduction

I decided to start a crowdfund to get more input and funding as a catalyst to complete my vision for the project.

I need help on this project. I can only call myself “a bit of an expert” on Thermodynamics and Soft Robotics because that is what my PhD was about and subsequently I can provide some directions on outlines, thesis writing and paper reviews. Therefore there are so many other topics of interests that I think will need other’s support. My curiosity is plentiful and I believe that whatever the child’s interests are, I can creatively link the curriculum and leverage their passion and motivation to improve their academic grades, while create a portfolio that they are proud of and adds confidence and evidence to support their future interviews. ChatGPT or Artificial Intelligence can fill in some knowledge gaps but ultimately I need to engage more experts in their fields to develop each subject specific content. I want this project to be exceptional, not just good. I conclude that I need to engage more experts through commissioning work and increase awareness of my work for others to contribute.

The progress from 8 months is that I defined lots of topics / subjects for any potential King’s Scholars to be competent in.

What is BE a Scholar Tuition (BEST)?

BEST aims to inspire children to find their own passions and develop them into a high quality and unique portfolio. BEST will identify the linkage between their passions and the Curriculum to ensure the contents are high quality and relevant to their school life and exams. BEST will look to optimise the environment to motivate the children to explore their passions and aspirations, and create a portfolio that is long lasting and convincing to future interviewers that they are the right candidate with a balanced reputational, (I worked on this topic for years), logical (look at the awesome stuff that I actually done), and emotional (I am passionate in this field) appeals.

Why does it matter?

Every child deserves equal opportunities to succeed. The King’s Scholarship showed two things. Firstly, what level of academic excellence is possible for a 13 year old. Secondly, a clear divider in the background of scholars. The children go to selected private schools (expensive), and/or those who probably have better education resources, such as private tuition, time to study, environment suitable for study. There are kids who lack the time to study and worry about their next meals, referencing the school lunch issue. The COVID-19 impact on each child will vary. Many schools are closed due to RAAC issues in 2023. Some UK school children have food, health, and building safety issues to think about while learning. The cost of living crisis impacts everyone in 2023. Every child should realise their dreams and aspirations, but each child has their own mountain to climb.

The opportunities are so unequal to each child (the RAAC issue is really my final straw to really do something). If the end goal is for a kid to grow up, find something they like to do, either do it as a job, or capable to do it as a hobby, or capable to keep chasing their dreams and aspirations, then let just take the most direct route, which is preparation for those interviews or opportunities that will lead to it. A personal journey leads to the desired destination.

How to start the journey to the destination?

At BE a Scholar Tuition, we are looking for a single approach yet flexible to tailor for every child. The approach has to be child lead (preferably with Parents). Every child will have some interests, or at least explore what they would like to do and make them happy. In the future, they will prepare for an interview, for their university, a first job in the field that they like. A positive outcome, i.e. getting into their first choice university or a job that they want, will likely make them happy. They grow up and interact with other people in a complex world. The approach can be described as firstly, focusing on the fundamentals such as reading, writing and presenting while tailored to each individual’s interests and passions. Secondly, to optimise their environment to maximise the probability of success for each child to study in their best possible way.

If I take up basket weaving, the follow up statement should not be “why”, but “cool”. Most things can be interesting if one takes time to explore. BEST will then explore the physical and chemical changes during the formation of the basket weave, and mathematical relationship between the weave geometry and the shape. For example, a basket weave that maximises the geometry (surface area) but minimises to a set volume , AKA the most useless basket in the world. The destination is the unique understanding of the subject aka “The Portfolio”.

I am taking a deep learning approach, which is largely unsupervised. The selected abstraction layers should have a topic, like Mathematics, or Science, and etc. So teachers and mentors can provide input accordingly. The child would define the other abstraction layers as they please. I am curious about those abstraction layers.

Lead by example.

I will be demonstrating my approach with Latte Art, or rather my own unique take, “Moving Latte Art”. I will use soft robotics, port-Hamiltonian theory and a lot of Mathematics to create a device that makes moving latte art. If someone else posts a video before me then great. I am interested in the underlying fluid dynamics and mixing dynamics between the coffee and the milk. I need more academic thinking time. Also write to the Professor Port-Hamiltonian (not his real name) for a bit of guidance. Hopefully he will respond, I have his Whatsapp too. He responded last time for a workshop in 2022. I need to read a textbook which right now the only way to get it into my head is eating it, so more thinking required.

My other example

I started my travel blog in 2010 to capture my 3 months in Nepal. And I extended it to my subsequent travel journeys. My blog captured fond memories, but it could certainly be more technical or linked to the Curriculum from a Geography, History, Languages, and other social subjects.

In Nepal, I saw how kids learn Science and created some science experiments to provide another way of learning in experimentation. I saw the change in vegetation and climate from 900m at Besi Sahar to 5400m at Thorong-La Pass. That is biology related. I also saw a Maoists demonstration which is an interesting political development after they gave up their weapons.

My volcano phase covered the volcanoes in Iceland, Stromboli in the Aeolian Islands and Etna. I met a guy and saw his video diving between the European plate and the Atlantic plate. Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin is a place in history. I could have write about the architecture details of the mixture Muslim and Christianity style of the Duomo in Palermo. I walked through historical topics of World War 2 at the Channel Islands (only part of UK under Germany’s Occupation) and Saint Malo in France.

I am curious about what others will do and write. And I am looking forward to inspiring and motivating them to start their own portfolio and focus on their individuality.