Peter
Certified Tutor
Undergraduate Degree: Carleton College - Bachelors, Cinema and Media Studies
SAT Composite (1600 scale): 1510
SAT Math: 760
SAT Verbal: 700
SAT Writing: 720
GRE Quantitative: 167
GRE Verbal: 166
Movies, photography, books, travel, the outdoors, football (go pats), running, punning
What is your teaching philosophy?
Focus on concepts and principles rather than particular solutions, and simply do your best! No more. No less.
What might you do in a typical first session with a student?
I introduce myself (my background, my interests, my hobbies), and I get to know the student. Then, I ask about the student's goals for the course, and we go over how we can best achieve those goals. After that, we dive right into whatever the student wants to tackle first.
How can you help a student become an independent learner?
Becoming an independent learner is all about figuring out the reasons for the answer rather than just the answer itself. So, my teaching will be focused on methods and strategies that students can master and then use on their own.
How would you help a student stay motivated?
By remaining enthusiastic, positive, realistic, and goal-oriented.
If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, what would you do?
Practice makes perfect, so I would continue by demonstrating a use of the concept in the solution of a problem, and then I would try to work through another problem with the student to see if they could use the concept to solve it.
How do you help students who are struggling with reading comprehension?
If none of the strategies I was teaching were taking hold, I would advise them to read more in their free time. I would find something that interests them (ex. cars, entertainment, politics, sports) and point them in the direction of good writing about that topic.
What strategies have you found to be most successful when you start to work with a student?
It is good to allow the student to guide the structure of the lessons in the beginning so that they feel they have an active role in their improvement. They will also likely be able to tell you what areas they need to focus on the most.
How would you help a student get excited/engaged with a subject that they are struggling in?
I have a natural intellectual curiosity, so I'm always able to find something about a subject that makes it interesting. Whether it's English, history, chemistry, physics, etc., there's always a way to frame the subject to make it interesting to the student.
What techniques would you use to be sure that a student understands the material?
I would encourage the student to speak more than I speak by having them work through the problems, asking them questions, and keeping them engaged.
How do you build a student's confidence in a subject?
The more you can facilitate students in working through a problem on their own, the more they will build confidence in that subject.
How do you evaluate a student's needs?
By asking the student. I always make sure I'm on the same page as them.
How do you adapt your tutoring to the student's needs?
By being open-minded and flexible.
What types of materials do you typically use during a tutoring session?
Pen and paper. Calculator. Occasionally the Internet to show the student something that might interest them or engage them.