Zachary
Certified Tutor
I am currently a freshman at Illinois State University majoring in math with a minor in music. I specialize in tutoring high school math and chemistry, but I can also tutor for standardized tests. I have tutoring experience from highschool. I enjoy tutoring because I get to see how my students develop their skills over time.
Outside of school, I enjoy playing trombone and singing (I do enjoy using songs to help memorize math formulas), speedcubing (solving Rubik's Cubes really fast), and hanging out with my friends.
If you attend ISU, we can meet in person for a tutoring session, otherwise I would prefer to have an online tutoring session.
Connect with a tutor like Zachary
Undergraduate Degree: Illinois State University - Current Undergrad, Mathematics - Actuarial Science
- ACT Composite: 33
- ACT Math: 35
- ACT Reading: 33
- ACT Science: 36
Trombone, Singing, Speedcubing,
- ACT Math
- ACT Science
- Algebra
- Algebra 2
- AP Calculus AB
- AP Chemistry
- AP Statistics
- Calculus
- Chemistry
- College Chemistry
- Geometry
- High School Chemistry
- MAP Prep
- Math
- Middle School Math
- Pre-Algebra
- PSAT Prep
- Science
- Statistics
- Test Prep
- Trigonometry
What might you do in a typical first session with a student?
The student and I would work through some problems to help me understand where the student currently stands and how I can most effectively help them.
How can you help a student become an independent learner?
I let students tackle problems and help them troubleshoot obstacles and misunderstandings throughout the process.
What is your teaching philosophy?
I want to help students become critical thinkers and creative problem solvers.
How do you help students who are struggling with reading comprehension?
I would help by drawing an image to help them visualize the problem. I would also ask my student questions about the reading to make sure he understands.
How would you help a student get excited/engaged with a subject that they are struggling in?
I would talk about cross-applications the difficult subject has with the student's preferred field. I think students learn best when they are interested in the material they are learning.
What techniques would you use to be sure that a student understands the material?
I would ask my student to teach me how to do a sample problem. If a student can explain how to do something, he should be able to solve it as well.
How do you build a student's confidence in a subject?
Repetition, repetition, repetition, and more repetition. I want to make sure the student understands the material so, if it comes up in a different situation, he would know to apply the solution before to the new problem.
How do you evaluate a student's needs?
I would ask the student to complete some sample problems from a variety of topics, and then see which areas did he did well in and where he needs some help.
What types of materials do you typically use during a tutoring session?
I usually use the online whiteboard to tutor students. I use a tablet computer so I can easily write and do a problem with a student. I sometimes also solve problems on loose-leaf paper and show it to the student part by part.