Deepal
Certified Tutor
Undergraduate Degree: University of Southern California - Bachelors, Biomedical Engineering
Graduate Degree: University of Southern California - Masters, Biomedical Engineering
ACT Composite: 34
ACT English: 34
ACT Math: 34
ACT Reading: 35
ACT Science: 33
SAT Composite (1600 scale): 1570
SAT Math: 770
SAT Verbal: 750
SAT Writing: 800
Reading NYT, Quartz, and other news media, reading for leisure, listening to music, watching movies, gaming, and learning to code.
What is your teaching philosophy?
My teaching philosophy is that there's many ways to arrive at the same answer, but in school you learn one rigid method and stick to it. Finding a way that is easier, more efficient, or even longer if it means less memorization is key.
What might you do in a typical first session with a student?
I'd like to gauge where exactly they need assistance by getting a grasp of their current skill set. From there, we can meet criteria required of a class or of a test by developing the current skills as a foundation.
How can you help a student become an independent learner?
I believe that teaching more than one way to do a problem allows the student to choose what they prefer. When given that option of methods, in my experience, students will more readily approach a problem.
How would you help a student stay motivated?
For me, getting something right is the best motivator - especially if it takes you multiple tries or more effort than you're used to. If the current problem is too challenging, we can take it down a notch, but the key to improvement is being able to apply one concept to any problem. Developing that characteristic in a student, along with guidance and constant mentorship, is a strong motivator.
If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, what would you do?
Whenever I have difficulty learning a concept, it often helps to break it down into the distinct aspects of the concept. Usually, new concepts come after ones previously learned. Making sure those previous concepts are strong in foundation, then building them together one by one, is great help for learning.
How do you help students who are struggling with reading comprehension?
Reading comprehension was something I struggled with for a long time myself, until I developed the practice of marking up and annotating the passage as much as possible. The simple act of taking notes as you're reading improves retention a lot. You can often answer questions asked of you by looking at those notes.