Matthew: Liberty tutor
Certified Tutor
I am a lifelong learner with a Bachelor of Arts in Biology from the University of California, Santa Barbara, dozens of post-baccalaureate units for knowledge enhancement, and a current acceptance to a top-ten Master of Physician Assistant program that will commence this summer. I started teaching during my undergraduate studies as a elementary school tutor and continued along this path as an adjunct instructor for handicapped children in Santiago, Chile during my studies abroad. More recent experiences include leading CPR and First Aid classes for the American Heart Association as well as instructing community college courses on rock climbing around Lake Tahoe, CA. I love to help students in the areas of Math, Biological Sciences, English and Reading Comprehension, especially now as they pertain to preparation for the GRE. My philosophy of teaching largely revolves around a question-based format, where I lead the student with strategic prompting to discover the answer for themselves, enhancing critical thinking and fostering independence. Beyond that foundation, I know that every student is an individual with a unique learning style. Addressing these points and allowing the student to give me feedback regarding their preferred methodology is a top priority. When I'm not reading, playing the ukulele or working, you will find me running on a trail or climbing in the mountains of California.
Connect with a tutor like Matthew
Undergraduate Degree: University of California-Santa Barbara - Bachelors, Biology, General
- GRE Verbal: 166
Long-distance running, Rock climbing, ukulele and medicine
- Algebra
- Algebra 2
- Biology
- College Algebra
- College Biology
- Geometry
- Graduate Test Prep
- GRE
- GRE Quantitative
- GRE Verbal
- High School Biology
- Math
- Microbiology
- Middle School Math
- Pre-Algebra
- Quantitative Reasoning
- Science
What might you do in a typical first session with a student?
My first session will start off with a brief personal introduction, followed by a series of questions to establish what the student's goals include and what learning styles facilitate their progress best.
What is your teaching philosophy?
My philosophy largely follows a Socratic model, but also embraces individual preferences for learning style. I like to use leading questions to increase engagement, critical thinking and boost confidence.
How can you help a student become an independent learner?
Increasing self-confidence with a solid foundation of practice is one way to grow towards independence. Providing the student with learning strategies and readily available external resources also allows the motivated mind to use those same skills for mastery of any subject material.
How would you help a student stay motivated?
Making sure there is a good blend of challenge and routine practice keeps up self-esteem while maintaining interest.
If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, what would you do?
Start with the basics and ask the student to identify what it is specifically that they find challenging. Having clear and constant communication will allow for focused attention on the pertinent material that is most difficult.
What strategies have you found to be most successful when you start to work with a student?
Establishing rapport and maintaining engagement tend to work well with almost all students. These dimensions are reached in different ways, as every student is unique.
What techniques would you use to be sure that a student understands the material?
Reversing the teacher-student role is a great way to demonstrate understanding. If the student can talk me through the question with their own logic then I feel very confident in their mastery.
How do you build a student's confidence in a subject?
Starting off with material that resides within reach and progressively increasing difficulty sets the learner up for success and sustained confidence.
How do you evaluate a student's needs?
First and foremost, I always ask the student to self-evaluate needs and/or subject material goals. I will constantly pay attention to what they find most challenging and ask for follow-up re-evaluations as we move along.