Jolene: Deerfield Beach tutor
Certified Tutor
Math is my talent. I understand it and am able to teach it effortlessly. My belief is if I am explaining something and you do not understand me then it is a problem with me not you. It is incumbent upon me to modify my approach until you understand.
Currently, I am completing my Ph.D. from Stanford University in Geophysics this fall. I have earned a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and a M.S. in Applied Physics from the University of New Orleans.
During my Time at the University of New Orleans I tutored students from all majors in math and engineering. I taught an enrichment class to incoming students to the University of New Orleans in math to assist with gaps in their knowledge prior to the start classes. Currently I tutor middle school kids in Algebra and Geometry.
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Undergraduate Degree: University of New Orleans - Bachelors, Electrical Engineering
Graduate Degree: Stanford University - PHD, Geophysics
Football, reading, and horseback riding
- 10th Grade Math
- 11th Grade Math
- 12th Grade Math
- 2nd Grade Math
- 3rd Grade Math
- 4th Grade Math
- 5th Grade Math
- 6th Grade Math
- 7th Grade Math
- 8th Grade Math
- 9th Grade Math
- Algebra
- Algebra 2
- Algebra 3/4
- Arithmetic
- Calculus
- College Algebra
- Electrical and Computer Engineering
- GRE Quantitative
- Math
- Pre-Algebra
- Pre-Calculus
- Quantitative Reasoning
- Science
What is your teaching philosophy?
Math is my talent. I understand it and am able to teach it effortlessly. My belief is if I am explaining something and you do not understand me, then it is a problem with me, not you. It is incumbent upon me to modify my approach until you understand.
What might you do in a typical first session with a student?
Understand your goals and your current level of understanding. Determine where you are and where you would like to go. This is a combined effort. We must work together to make this work.
How can you help a student become an independent learner?
Teach a person how to think. What's in a problem gives you clues on how to answer. There are strategies to learning. I can help you learn how to think like a scientist or mathematician.
How would you help a student stay motivated?
I'd make sure that you are understanding what we are doing. Ensure that you are learning, not memorizing. Help you see that this stuff is really easy, and you just have to learn how to do it.
If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, what would you do?
Multiple things: try to understand the confusion, ensure that all of the fundamental underlying material is understood, help clear up confusion by giving real world examples and multiple explanations, and have you teach it to me.
What strategies have you found to be most successful when you start to work with a student?
Teaching a topic from the beginning. I always ask questions along the way to check for understanding.
How would you help a student get excited/engaged with a subject that they are struggling in?
Once you understand how to work problems, they all start to look the same. When a student starts to realize that there is no mystery to math, but just rules and steps, they gain confidence. With confidence comes excitement.
What techniques would you use to be sure that a student understands the material?
I'd have a student teach the topic to me as if I do not understand. If you can explain the topic and answer my questions - you know what you are doing.
How do you build a student's confidence in a subject?
Practice. Independent practice, dependent practice, answering questions, and explaining until they understand the subject. Removing the concept that "I can't do math" helps with confidence.
How do you evaluate a student's needs?
I need to understand their goals and what they are trying to achieve. Reviewing the material that they are assigned and always checking for understanding. My questions will help me to determine what a student knows and what they are missing.
What types of materials do you typically use during a tutoring session?
Books, on-line materials, and real-world examples. Writing and doing problems always helps, so paper and pencil are fundamental necessary tools.
How do you adapt your tutoring to the student's needs?
Each student learns differently. It is my job to teach so that the student understands and uses the knowledge that I am providing them. It's the student's job to practice and ask questions.
How do you help students who are struggling with reading comprehension?
When reading the first task, make sure that the student understands each word in the passage. Then, we would take chucks and understand each paragraph or page and put that information together.