Ari
Certified Tutor
I am a graduate of American University's Psychology program as well as Interdisciplinary Studies in Political Science, International Relations and Religious Studies. I have lived throughout the North Shore all my life. Much like my studies, my interests run the gambit, from music and theater to hiking and biking, gaming and roleplaying to cooking and traveling. I love learning about new cultures or beliefs, and I hope to use my knowledge of the subject for conflict resolution and de-radicalization programs.
I have been working for over 8 years in education, most recently as a Teaching Assistant in a psychology/neurology class of 140+ freshmen. I have worked at school and camp programs with children of all ages. I first started tutoring juniors and seniors as a freshman in high school when Marblehead High School allowed me into the upperclassmen's Western Philosophy class; since then, I have tutored all major subjects and tests, as well as several specialties, from the elementary to the collegiate levels. I take a collaborative approach, working with the student and parent(s) to decide what methods of improvement will best work. I work hard to establish clear goals and expectations for students and parents by which they may motivate themselves and judge their performance.
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Undergraduate Degree: American University - Bachelor in Arts, Psychology
- SAT Composite (1600 scale): 1410
- SAT Math: 700
- GRE Verbal: 165
- GRE Quantitative: 155
Biking, Hiking, Gaming, LARPing, Creative Writing, Reading, Singing, Acting, Learning about new languages and cultures
- 10th Grade
- 10th Grade Math
- 10th Grade Reading
- 10th Grade Writing
- 11th Grade
- 11th Grade Math
- 11th Grade Reading
- 11th Grade Writing
- 12th Grade
- 12th Grade Math
- 12th Grade Reading
- 12th Grade Writing
- 4th Grade
- 4th Grade Science
- 5th Grade
- 5th Grade Science
- 6th Grade
- 6th Grade Math
- 6th Grade Reading
- 6th Grade Science
- 6th Grade Writing
- 7th Grade
- 7th Grade Math
- 7th Grade Reading
- 7th Grade Science
- 7th Grade Writing
- 8th Grade
- 8th Grade Math
- 8th Grade Reading
- 8th Grade Science
- 8th Grade Writing
- 9th Grade
- 9th Grade Math
- 9th Grade Reading
- 9th Grade Writing
- Adult Literacy
- Algebra
- Algebra 2
- Algebra 3/4
- AP Psychology
- Arabic
- Arithmetic
- College Algebra
- College English
- College Essays
- Comparative Literature
- Conversational Spanish
- Creative Writing
- Elementary School
- Elementary School Math
- Elementary School Reading
- Elementary School Science
- Elementary School Writing
- English
- English Grammar and Syntax
- Essay Editing
- Expository Writing
- Fiction Writing
- Geometry
- Graduate Test Prep
- GRE Subject Test in Psychology
- GRE Subject Tests
- GRE Verbal
- High School
- High School Chemistry
- High School English
- High School Writing
- Homeschool
- Honors
- HSPT Prep
- HSPT Language Skills
- HSPT Math
- HSPT Quantitative
- HSPT Reading
- HSPT Verbal
- Human Geography
- Intermediate Algebra
- ISAT Prep
- ISEE Prep
- ISEE- Middle Level
- ISEE- Upper Level
- Languages
- Literature
- Math
- MCAT Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior
- Middle School
- Middle School Math
- Middle School Reading
- Middle School Science
- Middle School Writing
- Other
- Persuasive Writing
- Philosophy
- Political Science
- Pre-Algebra
- PSAT Prep
- PSAT Critical Reading
- PSAT Mathematics
- PSAT Writing Skills
- Psychology
- Public Speaking
- Reading
- SAT Prep
- SAT Math
- SAT Mathematics
- SAT Reading
- SAT Writing and Language
- Science
- Social Sciences
- Social Studies
- Spanish
- Spanish 1
- Spanish 2
- SSAT Prep
- SSAT- Middle Level
- SSAT- Upper Level
- Study Skills
- Study Skills and Organization
- Summer
- Test Prep
- Vocabulary
- Writing
What is your teaching philosophy?
I take a collaborative approach, working with the student and parent(s) to decide what methods of improvement will best work. I work hard to establish clear goals and expectations for students and parents by which they may motivate themselves and judge their performance.
What might you do in a typical first session with a student?
In a first session, I typically discuss strengths, weakness, goals and expectations with the student and their parents. I also often test the waters with the student regarding their learning style and current knowledge.
How can you help a student become an independent learner?
I try to encourage the student to develop positive, constructive habits for proactive organization, note taking, studying, writing and test taking.
How would you help a student stay motivated?
I try to use positive reinforcement as well as to emphasize goal setting, orientation and completion.
If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, what would you do?
I try to help the student see a skill or concept from multiple angles so that they can better grasp it. I emphasize the necessity of practice for mastery of a skill or concept.
How do you help students who are struggling with reading comprehension?
I often work through passages with students segment by segment, theme by theme, plot point by plot point, etc. I try to demonstrate how or orient students in the direction to become a detective and connect all of the dots. I also emphasize that reading comprehension, like a 3-point throw or a ballet move, is a skill that requires practice, focus and patience.
What strategies have you found to be most successful when you start to work with a student?
Students generally respond well to a combination of honesty, positive reinforcement, demonstration, and Socratic appeals to their own insight or prior knowledge.
How would you help a student get excited/engaged with a subject that they are struggling in?
Breaking a difficult subject or concept into bite-size pieces helps increase the frequency of correct answers, which boosts confidence.
What techniques would you use to be sure that a student understands the material?
I test comprehension multiple times from multiple angles, e.g. vocabulary definition, use, antonyms, synonyms, etc. to prove comprehension of a word.
How do you build a student's confidence in a subject?
Honest, critical, yet constructive positive reinforcement often helps a student believe in their own abilities to master a subject or surpass a goalpost.
How do you evaluate a student's needs?
I regularly discuss a student's needs with the student and his/her parents. I also often share my own insights into the student's needs based on my own perspective from sessions and similar prior students.
How do you adapt your tutoring to the student's needs?
My tutor approaches are not pure routine, but a constant adaptation to the needs of my student, based on my student's progress. I also check in regularly with my student to ask for their own personal assessment of the tutoring sessions.
What types of materials do you typically use during a tutoring session?
I use a mix of online interface hand-drawn figures, PDF problem sets, video concept reviews, and books.