Kyle
Certified Tutor
Undergraduate Degree: Polytechnic Institute of New York University - Bachelor of Science, Chemical Engineering
Graduate Degree: Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Master of Science, Chemical Engineering
Running, learning languages, cooking, meditation
Algebra 3/4
Business
Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
College Physics
Engineering
High School Physics
Quantitative Reasoning
What is your teaching philosophy?
I believe in letting the student guide the learning as much as possible. I like to ask questions more than tell answers, which encourages more initiative and, ultimately, better knowledge retention by the student.
What might you do in a typical first session with a student?
For the first lesson, I want to get a feel for the strengths and areas of development needed in my pupil. Often it's a process that needs refining (like effective reading), more than a particular fact or idea that can be improved.
How can you help a student become an independent learner?
By learning how to learn, a student can take academic development into her own hands. Study skills, mental maps, and having a strategy are all crucial to developing a student into a lifelong self-motivated learner.
How would you help a student stay motivated?
It's easy to get discouraged if the grades start to fall. By focusing on ways to improve, rather than dwelling on past mistakes, I hope students will overcome their anxiety and take ownership over their learning.
If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, what would you do?
If there is a problem learning a particular skill or concept, I would try to approach the subject from another perspective. Not all learners learn the same; some learn by reading, while others learn by talking or listening. Everyone has the ability to learn, but finding what works best for each student is the key to success.
How do you help students who are struggling with reading comprehension?
For reading comprehension, it really helps to break down a passage and come up with the general tone or idea. After that, we can discuss specific keywords or phrases that are central to the passage, as well as any context clues which may help in understanding.
What strategies have you found to be most successful when you start to work with a student?
I like my students to feel comfortable while learning. So, at the beginning, I ask what the student's goals and dreams are. Once they visualize the motivation for studying, they seem more open to putting in the hard work to learn the material.
How would you help a student get excited/engaged with a subject that they are struggling in?
To excite a student, I would bring in real-life examples of how this particular subject is applied in the "real world." I want to make things as concrete as possible, which makes the learning more tangible and hopefully inspires them.
What techniques would you use to be sure that a student understands the material?
I like to have the student practice as much as possible, and explain the lesson back to me. By "teaching the teacher," they demonstrate that they truly understand the material, as opposed to simply memorizing key facts.
How do you build a student's confidence in a subject?
Confidence in a subject is built with in-depth practice and understanding real-world applications. As with anything, the more perspectives the student can bring about a subject, the more they will feel confident.
How do you evaluate a student's needs?
I want to get constant feedback about how the instruction is going. If a particular example is unclear, or if a teaching style is not effective, I want the student to tell me as soon as possible so we can be more efficacious during our sessions.
How do you adapt your tutoring to the student's needs?
Every person learns in a different way, depending on their background and personality. A good tutor can adapt to a variety of approaches to a subject and make learning a fun and positive experience.
What types of materials do you typically use during a tutoring session?
I like to use books, articles from the Internet, and videos to make the learning as interactive as possible. It's important to move beyond a piece of chalk and a blackboard because not everyone learns effectively with those simple tools.