Brian

Certified Tutor

Call us today to connect with a top tutor

I went to college in Boulder, Co, where I earned a B.A. and M.A. in Cognitive Science from the University of Colorado at Boulder. I tutored the Cognitive Science course several times and took a large variety of courses. I am presently interested in tutoring for Computer Science, including programming in Python, Javascript and C++, in addition to tutoring computer science fundamentals. My favorite subject to tutor is probably Python, because it comes close to accomplishing its vision of "executable ideas," and because I appreciate the Zen of Python (https://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0020/). My teaching philosophy and tutoring style is to try and make concepts as concrete possible, to teach why what we are learning is important in the real world, and to keep it fun! Outside of the classroom my interests include hiking, playing hackysack, playing pool and hanging out with friends.

If you pick me as your programming / CS tutor I guarantee you will walk away with more concrete skills and a bigger picture appreciation of the art of programming.

Brian’s Qualifications

Education & Certification

Undergraduate Degree: University of Colorado Boulder - Bachelors, Cognitive Science

Graduate Degree: University of Colorado Boulder - Masters, Cognitive Science

Hobbies

Hiking, hacky sack, coding, brains, the future.

Tutoring Subjects

BASIC

C++

College Computer Science

Computer Science

High School Computer Science

JavaScript

Python

Technology and Computer Science

Q & A

What is your teaching philosophy?

I like to teach interactively with fun, concrete examples.

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

In a typical first session I would like to get to know the student, and also get started with a big picture introduction to the topic and some relatively simple examples. It's important to first establish the importance of the topic in the real world.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

The best way to help a student become an independent learner is to demonstrate that learning is fun, and to show how learning will lead a happy, successful life.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

In order to help a student stay motivated it's important to show that the topic is fun and important.

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

If a student is having difficulty learning a skill or concept I would try different approaches to teaching, or simply move on to something else for a while before coming back.

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

In order to help a student struggling with reading comprehension, I would have the student take notes as they go, and to periodically revisit those notes, so that they can stay in touch with the big picture.

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

Explaining the relevance of the topic to the real world is an effective motivator.

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

To help get a student get excited and engaged in a topic they are struggling in, I would invent and search for creative and fun ways to teach the topic.

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

Frequent testing is an important part of learning. This is known as the testing effect in psychology. In fact, testing may be the MOST important part of learning!

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

By helping them succeed, and complimenting and rewarding them when they do.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

By paying close attention :).

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

By taking careful stock of what the student's needs are and changing my teaching strategy appropriately.

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

Textbooks via my university library, Wikipedia, and other online resources.