Jesse: Palos Heights tutor
Certified Tutor
I am a graduate of the University of Oregon, where I received my BA in human physiology and Spanish. Currently, I am a graduate student at California State University, Long Beach, where I am studying to earn my doctorate of physical therapy (DPT). After graduating, I worked in special education at he elementary and high school levels. It was during this time that I first began tutoring Spanish, to high school and university students. What drew me to tutoring Spanish was that it not only allowed me to maintain my Spanish after graduating, but also gave me a chance to share my the experiences I had gained while traveling the Spanish-speaking world (Mexico and Spain). I chose to tutor math as well, after offering one-on-one and small group academic support in special education; seeing my students understand concepts that were previously challenging, gave me a sense of satisfaction that was hard to equal. While I tutor Spanish and math, I prefer Spanish, due the travel opportunities learning Spanish affords.
With respect to my tutoring style, I like to let the student guide the session, with me acting as a moderator and teacher, rather than a disciplinarian.
Outside of tutoring, I enjoy weight lifting and being physically active, traveling, spending time with family, reading.
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Undergraduate Degree: University of Oregon - Bachelor in Arts, Human Physiology, Spanish
Graduate Degree: CSU, Long Beach - Masters, Physical Therapy
Weight lifting, MMA, Spanish language, traveling, physical therapy
- Anatomy
- Anatomy & Physiology
- AP Spanish Language & Culture
- CLEP Prep
- CLEP College Algebra
- CLEP Spanish
- Conversational Spanish
- Geometry
- Languages
- Math
- Medical Terminology
- Pathophysiology
- Physiology
- SAT Subject Test in Spanish
- SAT Subject Tests Prep
- Science
- Spanish
- Spanish 1
- Spanish 2
- Spanish 3
- Spanish 4
- Test Prep
What is your teaching philosophy?
I like to make sure students are actively engaged in the learning process and not passive participants.
What might you do in a typical first session with a student?
Find out the student's strengths and weaknesses and build my tutoring off of that.
How can you help a student become an independent learner?
Coach them through problems, gradually fading the coaching as the student becomes more proficient.
How would you help a student stay motivated?
Find out what their interests are and try to make tutoring as applicable to those interests as possible
If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, what would you do?
Try to find out what it is about that concept that is difficult for them, and adjust my tutoring accordingly.
How do you help students who are struggling with reading comprehension?
Have them take notes periodically about what they've read so they can look back on them as needed.
What strategies have you found to be most successful when you start to work with a student?
Trying to make the teaching activities engaging, and not just a session of rote memorization.
How would you help a student get excited/engaged with a subject that they are struggling in?
Inform them of the practical applications of the subjects they're struggling with and the possible benefits of trying to understand the concept.
What techniques would you use to be sure that a student understands the material?
Asking the student to explain the concept to me, in his/her own words.
How do you build a student's confidence in a subject?
Praise critical thinking, even if their answer is not correct, and be patient when they make mistakes
How do you evaluate a student's needs?
Based on his/her self-assessment of abilities and any prior coursework that he/she could show me. These would indicate areas for improvement.
How do you adapt your tutoring to the student's needs?
I increase/decrease praise as needed and work through problems quicker/slower as needed, etc.
What types of materials do you typically use during a tutoring session?
Relevant texts, personal anecdotes, and relevant social media.