Yasaman
Certified Tutor
Undergraduate Degree: University of California-San Diego - Bachelors, Computer Engineering
Hiking, reading, physics, marvel movies!
College Computer Science
Elementary School Math
High School Computer Science
Summer
What is your teaching philosophy?
I think it is very important to teach kids from an early age what the importance of math and science is. I want to help them ease out of feeling overwhelmed and discouraged and ease into feeling confident about their skills, while understanding the relevance of them. During every lesson, I always try to study my pupil and understand how he or she learns, then I cater my following lessons to their learning styles. My students will always get genuine care from me because I take their education very seriously, and I truly want to see them succeed. I love what I teach, and my goal is to try to pass that passion on to the upcoming generation.
What might you do in a typical first session with a student?
The first session is all about assessing where a student is in his or her studies. That means figuring out not only how well they're understanding the subject so far but also how confident they feel about their own skills. I try to pinpoint where exactly they need help and why it is they did not understand the lesson in the first place. That means understanding their learning styles, how long their attention spans generally last, and what gets them back on track when they are distracted.
How can you help a student become an independent learner?
I always try to instill good study habits during every tutoring session. I don't let students get away with sloppy work; their books and binders always need to be organized and their work needs to always be shown clearly and legibly. This is extremely important because students need to be able to go back and look over their work in order to figure out why an answer is wrong or to study their steps if their answer is right. Also, I ask them to jot down any questions about a lesson they have during class. Not only does this help them remember what they want to go over in further detail when I have a session with them, but it also gets them into the habit of writing down things they don't understand for their future classes, so they can ask for help later on.
How would you help a student stay motivated?
I genuinely care about whether or not my students are learning. This makes me a very enthusiastic teacher! When students understand a concept that was previously alien to them, I get really excited, and I make sure they understand what a big deal that is. I have found that my genuine happiness and encouragement really help students feel good about what they are doing.
If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, what would you do?
This can be tackled in two ways, depending on the student. Some students need that extra push in order to keep going, to keep doing practice problems, and to keep asking questions until they finally understand what it is they need to do. On the other hand, some students get very frustrated with themselves if they don't get something, and it makes them shut down and stop trying. What I do in those situations is give them a little break. I ask them to draw a little picture or tell me about their day; this mental pause really helps them recuperate. Then, I ask them to do a related problem that I know they can do so that the student can get their confidence back up before tackling the more difficult concepts.