Benjamin: Montreal tutor
Certified Tutor
Teaching is very rewarding, and I believe learning should be too. One of my greatest accomplishments has been to equip students to be independent learners by helping them discover joy and purpose in what they learn as well as the self-awareness they need to keep improving. It is a life-long adventure.
Subjects I teach would fall into four main categories: Computer Science/Programming, ESL, Math, and Music. I would like to explain my background regarding each category:
Computer Science/Programming: I am 3 courses away from a BS in Computer Science and I'm currently working on a real-life project involving web development, databases, and Android development. A large part of this project requires explaining technical concepts to coworkers who don't have the same technical background I do.
ESL: I've also taught ESL to children in Asia for 5 years, so I have an awareness of and ability to help ESL/ELL students through many of the challenges they may have.
Math: I have completed coursework through a high-school level of basic Calculus and had the pleasure of tutoring a Pre-Calculus high school math student shortly after graduating from high school. It was a fun and rewarding experience, probably even more for me than for the student. Since high school, I have also had to apply my Algebra in some Computer Science coursework.
Music: I have a Music Minor with my first BS. At a young age, I learned to play the violin by ear through the Suzuki Violin Method and have just started giving my own son of 4 years his first violin lessons! I thoroughly enjoy helping people with some musical passion learn the skills and tools they need to express themselves through music.
Connect with a tutor like Benjamin
Undergraduate Degree: University of Northwestern St Paul Oregon State University - Bachelors, Youth Ministry (graduated 2007), Computer Science (expected 2017)
violin, running, basketball, being creative
What is your teaching philosophy?
Given enough encouragement and motivation, a student can learn most anything. My greatest accomplishment as a teacher has been to teach my students how to learn independently and become lifelong learners.
What might you do in a typical first session with a student?
In a first session with a student, I would try to establish a relationship where we can be comfortable working with each other and also set out to discover the student's current foundation of knowledge and skills so as to build upon that in the process.
How can you help a student become an independent learner?
To help a student become an independent learner, I would help the student grow in self-awareness. I would help the student learn to evaluate himself/herself in order to eventually take more control in asking the right questions and ultimately learning how to discover the answers by himself/herself. Also, if the student finds purpose in learning something, he or she will be more motivated to learn that something independently, so part of my job is giving them purpose and value in what they need to learn.