Zachary
Certified Tutor
I graduated from the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester MA with a Bachelors of Arts Degree in Russian. I was a member of the Division I Track & Field team and qualified for All-Patriot League Academic Team, Dean's List and Dobro Slovo (Russian Honor Society). While I truly enjoyed my time studying the Russian Language, my true passion lies in Finance and Economics.
I currently am a full time financial professional working for The Vanguard Group in Charlotte, North Carolina. I love analyzing economic data and using that data in every day conversations and to shape my decisions. When it comes to tutoring I have a very similar approach. I will analyze where the problem areas are, or where a student may be struggling, and use that information to in turn teach and educate the student. Every student learns differently and it's important to identify how that student learns so I can best utilize my tools to teach as effectively as I can.
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Undergraduate Degree: College of the Holy Cross - Bachelors, Russian
Hiking with my dog, Nala. Reading anything and everything. Being active (weight-lifting, running, swimming). Traveling domestically.
- 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
- 1st Grade
- 1st Grade Math
- 1st Grade Reading
- 1st Grade Writing
- 2nd Grade
- 2nd Grade Math
- 2nd Grade Reading
- 2nd Grade Writing
- 3rd Grade
- 3rd Grade Math
- 3rd Grade Reading
- 3rd Grade Writing
- 4th Grade
- 4th Grade Math
- 4th Grade Reading
- 4th Grade Writing
- 5th Grade
- 5th Grade Math
- 5th Grade Reading
- 5th Grade Writing
- 6th Grade
- 6th Grade Math
- 6th Grade Reading
- 6th Grade Writing
- 7th Grade
- 7th Grade Math
- 7th Grade Reading
- 7th Grade Writing
- 8th Grade
- 8th Grade Math
- 8th Grade Reading
- 8th Grade Writing
- 9th Grade
- 9th Grade Math
- 9th Grade Reading
- 9th Grade Writing
- ACT Math
- Adult Literacy
- Arithmetic
- Business
- Business Enterprise
- CLEP Principles of Macroeconomics
- CLEP Principles of Microeconomics
- College Business
- College Economics
- College English
- College Math
- Cost Analysis
- Economics
- Elementary Algebra
- Elementary School
- Elementary School Math
- Elementary School Reading
- Elementary School Writing
- English
- Essay Editing
- Finance
- Guitar
- Handwriting
- High School
- High School Business
- High School Economics
- High School English
- High School Writing
- Homeschool
- Homework Support
- Intermediate Algebra
- International Business
- Macroeconomics
- Math
- Microeconomics
- Middle School
- Middle School Math
- Middle School Reading
- Middle School Writing
- Pre-Algebra
- Summer
- Test Prep
- Trigonometry
- Writing
What is your teaching philosophy?
Treating each student as an individual and teaching to their learning style. By identifying how that student learns best (visual, auditory or kinesthetic) I can tailor my approach.
What might you do in a typical first session with a student?
Get to know the student and build rapport. Ask them what subjects they like and what subjects they don't like. If we can connect on a personal level, it will make our tutoring session more enjoyable.
How can you help a student become an independent learner?
By providing the student with great self-study practices and methods. We can build confidence together through our tutoring sessions, and hopefully the student will leave with enough confidence to take on these problems by themselves.
How would you help a student stay motivated?
By encouraging them and letting them know when they are improving. If there are a few problem areas that haven't improved, that's okay! There are some areas that are more difficult than others, but everything is accomplishable!
If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, what would you do?
I would break down that skill or concept. Most questions or subject areas require multiple steps. And if I can understand the students thought process behind these steps, I can figure out where we are having the disconnect.
What strategies have you found to be most successful when you start to work with a student?
Asking open-ended questions is a very effective technique. "What are your thoughts? What do you think we should do next?" These questions get the student to open up and help me better understand their reasoning behind their decisions.
How would you help a student get excited/engaged with a subject that they are struggling in?
For me, making struggle areas a competition or a game always got me engaged, and so I would take a similar approach. I would try to create a positive environment by being encouraging, and possibly making it entertaining by turning it into a game.
What techniques would you use to be sure that a student understands the material?
I am a firm believer in follow up open-ended questions. "What questions do you have about what we went over? What part of that problem did you struggle with the most?" These questions will help the student think about what the problem was asking and how they got to their answer; as a tutor that helps me understand if the student truly knows the material.
How do you build a student's confidence in a subject?
Positive affirmation is key! Buzzwords such as "You're doing great! We are getting so much better!" Also, taking a step back and helping the student realize where they started and how far they have come will help build the student's confidence.
How do you evaluate a student's needs?
Asking open-ended questions will allow the student to open up more about what specifically they are looking for from their tutoring session. Based off of their responses, I can best position appropriate solutions to their needs.
How do you adapt your tutoring to the student's needs?
Each student is different and learns differently. It is important that I tailor my teaching towards their learning style. For visual learners I will incorporate graphs and charts, for auditory learners I make sure I am fully explaining the questions in details, and for kinesthetic learners I make sure we are using hands on examples.
What types of materials do you typically use during a tutoring session?
I love to use the whiteboard area of the online platform. By utilizing this function appropriately, it allows me to engage the student and see their step-by-step process.
How do you help students who are struggling with reading comprehension?
I like to break down the reading sentence by sentence. And seeing what part of the sentence the student isn't comprehending. Is it something that is getting lost in the middle? Or is it the full sentence? By figuring out where or what specifically the student isn't understanding, I can tailor my teaching.