Zach: Largo tutor
Certified Tutor
I'm a physician.
I am a tutor who is devoted to continue working with students to help them learn to learn on their own. I want my students to gain academic confidence and the skills necessary to master any subject, using tutors as a tool to help them grow and develop in the scholarly world.
My experience working with students is diverse. I have been a TA for three years, working with students in Introductory Biology, Biostatistics and Evolutionary Biology. Furthermore, I have worked as a tutor for students from primary school to college, and I have worked as a test prep instructor for a major test prep company.
As a student, I have learned from amazing professors at both UTSA and UT Austin and have earned a BSA in Biology with two minors: psychology and business. I graduated in December of 2015 with High Honors.
A core component of my education has been taught through research; thousands of hours of my time have been spent in research labs.
Although my primary focus as a tutor lies in the sciences, I have broad experiences that allow me to work with students who need help in many different subjects, from social sciences to English, math, and test preparation.
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Undergraduate Degree: The University of Texas at Austin - Bachelors, Biology, Cert. Psy
Camping, aquaria, dog walking, fishing, hiking, video gaming, skiing
- Anatomy & Physiology
- Biology
- Biostatistics
- Cell Biology
- Chemistry
- College Biology
- College Chemistry
- Endocrinology
- Evolutionary Biology
- General Biology
- Genetics
- High School Biology
- High School Chemistry
- High School Physics
- Histology
- Honors Chemistry
- Immunology
- Medical Terminology
- Medicine
- Microbiology
- Neurobiology
- Neuroscience
- Pathology
- Pathophysiology
- Physics
- Physiology
- Science
What is your teaching philosophy?
I typically employ the Socratic method, guiding students so that they can use their own knowledge and reasoning to find not only the correct answers, but to find a greater thematic comprehension of the course material.
What might you do in a typical first session with a student?
First, I would spend time getting to know the student and their needs. What exactly does the student want to gain from the tutoring sessions? How can I best help? Once we have established the above parameters, we would set a game plan and start some review!
How can you help a student become an independent learner?
Using the Socratic method to guide them to a greater understanding. I have found that allowing the student to rely on their thought processes to solve problems is the best way for them to learn how to learn on their own!
How would you help a student get excited/engaged with a subject that they are struggling in?
I am truly passionate about the subjects I tutor, and I have found that to excite other about the subject brings me joy. In order to help others see how amazing academia can be, I always try to tie in the material to real life scenarios and how they impact our lives.
How would you help a student stay motivated?
Concrete examples of how the material they are learning is important to the world as well as themselves. Furthermore, I would provide the student with examples that illustrate how they have improved over time in the subject, and the potential gains they could realize by staying motivated!
How do you build a student's confidence in a subject?
I build confidence in my students by working from a fundamental, theoretical level of understanding, up to a more precise and detailed understanding. This way, the student learns the fundamentals and can build upon their strong foundation.
What types of materials do you typically use during a tutoring session?
A plethora of types of materials are used when I tutor a student. To put it simply, I make decisions on what materials to use based on each student and how they learn. Some students may gain a greater understanding by working through diagrams and charts, while others may learn more from lists of important information and examples. There are some cases where I have found a student to learn most effectively by working through practice problems and identifying what information is needed to solve each problem. Ultimately, my method and materials are completely driven by what is best for the student.
What strategies have you found to be most successful when you start to work with a student?
Learning more about the student is a crucial part of my first steps with a student. Every student is different in many ways, including the most effective way for them to learn. Furthermore, I always like to learn from the student exactly what they hope to achieve from our sessions and to set realistic goals for our progress.