Marcus
Certified Tutor
Undergraduate Degree: Ohio State University-Main Campus - Bachelors, Mathematics
Graduate Degree: Kent State University at Kent - Masters, Masters of Arts in Education
I love the outdoors: running, hiking, volleyball, and surfing. When I am caught inside I love books - mostly science fiction or fantasy. Also, I am a big Ohio State Buckeyes fan (O-H!)
What is your teaching philosophy?
My teaching philosophy is built around strong fundamentals. Learning mathematics can become very easy if you take the time to understand why the basics work, and know them well. Everything after that will come much more natural.
What might you do in a typical first session with a student?
A conversation on what they are learning and what they already know relating to the topic (there's always something!). Based on the results and their needs, we might go through some examples or try more challenging material. Definitely at some point, we'd talk about goals and the future of their learning.
How can you help a student become an independent learner?
I can help by building an adaptable skill set. I would encourage practice in analyzing and breaking down problems at a general level in order to understand what the goals are, and then how to solve them.
How would you help a student stay motivated?
At a face value, success, especially in mathematics, is strong motivation. There is a sweet balance, I think, between the struggle of learning and the moment when it "clicks" that is very enjoyable.
If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, what would you do?
It depends. There is some merit to just giving an answer to alleviate frustration, but I think it is better to take time and learn a concept. Within this, I could provide smaller steps and structure to help, but also we could try to explore other approaches to a problem that the student can succeed at.
How do you help students who are struggling with reading comprehension?
Reading comprehension in mathematics comes by giving your viewpoint to problems a sense of structure. By drilling a basic approach of: "Okay, what am I doing? What do I know? When I read the problems what am I given?" etc. Students can begin to approach and apply a structure to any type of problem.