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Maria

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I am comfortable tutoring in a variety of subjects, but my passion is for preparing students for standardized tests (GRE, SAT, ACT) as well as instilling an appreciation for math and history. I also love to write -- I do freelance work and creative writing -- so I love to coach students on how to improve their writing, and to proofread and edit their work.

I have done quite a bit of private tutoring for high school and college-age students, but I'm completely open to tutoring students of any age. I am a native speaker of Russian and French and although I have no experience teaching those subjects, I would be thrilled to be of use as a homework helper and conversation partner.

I love animals (have two cats and a dog) and I love to be outdoors, running, biking, playing tennis and swimming.

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Maria’s Qualifications

Education & Certification

Undergraduate Degree: University of Pennsylvania - Bachelors, Communications, minor Psychology

Test Scores

GRE Verbal: 165

Hobbies

Cycling, running, movies, history, reading, likes animals (cats and dogs).

Q & A

What is your teaching philosophy?

I approach preparing for assignments and tests the same way I approach training for a marathon. Start with a plan and schedule. Build skills and endurance. Practice, practice, practice. On test day you will feel confident and prepared to face the challenge. I love reviewing and teaching math content, helping with writing, and giving strategies to boost performance on all different question types.

What might you do in a typical first session with a student?

In a first session I would assess the student's current knowledge and comfort level with the subject, and get an understanding for his or her learning style and preferences. I like to have students work through problems or assignments out loud, so I follow their thought process and see how they arrive at their answers.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

Teaching study skills is as important as teaching concepts and content. I'm a big fan of flashcards, note-taking, and underlining/highlighting while reading. I try to teach students how to process information more efficiently, and how to break down overwhelming tasks to be able to deal with them one piece at a time.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

I think it's important to find out what the student is passionate about. Maybe it's soccer, music or travel. One can always find a way to relate studying to some activity the student cares for. It's also important to find small victories to praise and make the student see the progress being made.

If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, what would you do?

I would first try to understand where exactly the difficulty lies. I ask students to tell me out loud exactly what they are thinking about a question or problem so I can pinpoint what it is that's causing trouble. I would then try to explain it in different ways, and always with examples, starting with simple ones and moving on to more complex ones. At each stage I make sure the student can follow what I am saying and my train of thought and logic, and then I ask them to repeat the process with a similar task.

How do you help students who are struggling with reading comprehension?

With reading, it is important to be aware or key words and phrases that point to the intent of the author. I teach students to analyze the tone of the passage, and think about what points are being made. Also it is just a matter of practice, practice, practice.

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