You learn best when you can relate new information to something you already know. I like to get to know you to explain concepts in terms that you are more familiar. Names can change; concepts stay the same.

I'd like to spend the first session getting to know a student. Learning about your strengths, weaknesses, interests, and struggles allows me to get a better sense of your perspective. My goal is to present information such that it is understandable from your perspective.

Learning how to learn is the main reason for education. If you understand the methods that work best for your unique mind, you can find more efficient ways to learn new information.

It's all about zooming out to the big picture. It helps to envision your long-term goals to better inspire you to WANT to work now. It's about tricking your brain into completing work for your reasons, not someone else's.

We will break down the concept into simpler parts and relate those parts to information that you already know. You are a nerd about something: sports, TV shows, rare bug collections. If you can relate new information to something you already know, it will be that much easier to remember.

Often we get focused on speed or just completing the reading. Stopping frequently to relate what you just read to your life will allow you to grasp the information better. Plus more breaks!

I am a fairly open book; I don't like to hide my own personality or past. My openness often encourages students to share more with me. With greater communication between us, I'll be able to learn more about you and cater my teaching to your specific style.

It's all about relating new concepts to things you already understand. If a concept is boring, the names can be changed to something more interesting while the concept stays the same. Giving a different perspective of a subject can also pique a student's interest. I like to teach using multiple disciplines of science so different perspectives are easy for me to give.

Perspective is reality. If you think about all the things you cannot do, you'll understandably feel dejected. However, switching the perspective around to look at the vast amount that you do understand can give you the boost you need to keep going!

When discussing topics, I keep watch on how much the student and I are contributing to the conversation. If the student is not comfortable enough to talk about a concept, we'll go back through until they solidify it.

Everyone is a unique learner because everyone has had different experiences. I like to get to know the experiences of my students so I can understand how they learn best. Often that means relating scientific concepts to your interests.

Most of my teaching is done as a verbal conversation, though I like to use a whiteboard and image/video searches to better illustrate concepts. Sometimes verbal conversations aren't enough so it's best to give multiple means of the same information.

I like to converse about scientific concepts and how they apply to everyday life. Students that do not understand the material will struggle more with the conversation. This clues me off to review that concept to improve their confidence.