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Ben

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I am a rising sophomore at Kenyon College, a small liberal arts school an hour out of Columbus, Ohio, majoring in Philosophy. It is difficult to identify a specialty of mine because I have worked with students from 1st grade through high school on topics ranging from elementary science to trigonometry test prep, but my foremost strength is the three sections of the SAT. I have roughly three years of experience tutoring and last year taught a test prep class. My approach to tutoring is to identify a students strengths and build upon them through frequent quizzes and reflective analysis. Additionally, having just gone through the college admissions process, I am privy to its length and complexity so can lend advice on anything, namely essays. I have plenty of experience writing and have been published in a local newspaper. While I think math is the easiest subject for me to teach, writing and writing skills are my favorite to teach because to see a writers progress is an extraordinary sight and, further, challenge.

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Ben’s Qualifications

Education & Certification

Undergraduate Degree: Kenyon College - Bachelor in Arts, Philosophy

Test Scores

SAT Composite (1600 scale): 1570

SAT Math: 770

SAT Verbal: 790

SAT Writing: 770

Hobbies

Reading, Listening to music, Running, Politics, Sports Statistics

Tutoring Subjects

10th Grade Math

10th Grade Writing

11th Grade Math

11th Grade Writing

12th Grade Math

12th Grade Writing

1st Grade Math

1st Grade Writing

2nd Grade Math

2nd Grade Writing

3rd Grade Math

3rd Grade Writing

4th Grade Math

4th Grade Writing

5th Grade Math

5th Grade Writing

6th Grade Math

6th Grade Writing

7th Grade Math

7th Grade Writing

8th Grade Math

8th Grade Writing

9th Grade Math

9th Grade Writing

ACT Prep

ACT English

ACT Math

ACT Reading

ACT Science

ACT Writing

Advanced Placement Prep

Algebra

AP Art History

AP Calculus AB

AP English Literature and Composition

AP European History

AP Macroeconomics

AP Microeconomics

AP U.S. Government & Politics

AP United States History

AP US History

AP World History

Business

College Algebra

College Essays

College Level American History

Comparative Literature

Economics

Elementary Math

Elementary School Math

Elementary School Writing

English Grammar and Syntax

Essay Editing

European History

Government

High School English

High School Level American History

High School Writing

History

HSPT Prep

HSPT Language Skills

HSPT Math

HSPT Quantitative

HSPT Reading

HSPT Verbal

ISEE Prep

ISEE- Lower Level

ISEE- Middle Level

ISEE- Upper Level

Literature

Math

Middle School Math

Middle School Writing

Other

Persuasive Writing

Pre-Algebra

PSAT Prep

PSAT Critical Reading

PSAT Mathematics

PSAT Writing Skills

SAT Prep

SAT Math

SAT Mathematics

SAT Reading

SAT Subject Test in Literature

SAT Subject Test in United States History

SAT Subject Test in World History

SAT Subject Tests Prep

SAT Writing and Language

Social Studies

SSAT Prep

SSAT- Elementary Level

SSAT- Middle Level

SSAT- Upper Level

Study Skills

Study Skills and Organization

Test Prep

Vocabulary

World Religions

Writing

Q & A

What is your teaching philosophy?

Play to the student's strengths. For the math-oriented student, linguistic problems should be explained in terms of a formula. For the linguistics-oriented student, math problems should be explained in terms of their readability. Subjects aren't as regimented as they may seem.

What might you do in a typical first session with a student?

Besides introductions, we discuss the student's strengths and weaknesses. From there (depending on what's being taught) I like to give a diagnostic test in order to try to understand what the student might not even know about him- or herself. Additionally, I believe the session should be not so much my instruction as our discussion.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

Teach them the rewards of curiosity. Once a student recognizes what he or she stands to gain--both intellectually and personally--from curiosity, "independent" learning simply becomes "fun" learning.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

Neither build them up nor break them down. The student ought to be reminded that he or she is neither the best nor the worst at what he or she is doing.

If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, what would you do?

Repetition. However, by this I don't mean that something should be gone over again and again and again; rather, ideas should be reinforced through frequent, spaced out "quizzes." Studies show that constant quizzing/testing is the ultimate teacher.

How do you help students who are struggling with reading comprehension?

Generally, the student just should stop thinking so hard. The student should let the reading talk to them, and not vice versa. The student should understand that even without extended analysis, he or she should simply "feel" something from the reading.

What strategies have you found to be most successful when you start to work with a student?

Have a consistent schedule, encourage a dialogue, make jokes, demonstrate interest in the student's instruction, and don't forget to have fun teaching.

How would you help a student get excited/engaged with a subject that they are struggling in?

Emphasize the challenge of it all. If there were no struggle to overcome, learning would be the most boring practice of all time. But the sheer existence of an intellectual obstacle provides the student with motivation, and further, interest.

What techniques would you use to be sure that a student understands the material?

Approach the material from different perspectives. If the student has been effortlessly solving extensive word problems that involve finding probability, perhaps see if the student understands the idea behind probability by using it to predict future outcomes.

How do you build a student's confidence in a subject?

Start with the easy stuff and gradually move to more difficult questions. However, the student should be encouraged, not built up. While the student should feel smart about his or her ability, he or she should recognize that there are always harder problems to solve.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

Identify the student's strengths. Next to the student's skills, his or her needs identify themselves, and the strengths can often be used to counteract those needs.

How do you adapt your tutoring to the student's needs?

Constant evaluation. You have to notice the little things. Has the student been looking interestedly at me during instruction, or is he or she gazing into the distance? Is the student doing as well as he or she can, or am I not communicating properly? These are the hints a good tutor heeds.

What types of materials do you typically use during a tutoring session?

It depends on the subject. For test prep I like official guides, whereas for course teaching I typically prefer a textbook.

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