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Ling

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I am an engineer in the San Francisco Bay area. I recently received my doctorate in biomedical engineering from University of California, Irvine, and my bachelor's degree from the same. I am always looking for new things to learn and interesting experiences, and being fresh out of school, I would like to continue the education experience by tutoring in my spare time.

Among my friends, I am known to be patient and empathetic. I also try to be as open-minded as possible. I have been either tutoring or mentoring many students and peers throughout high school, college, and graduate school. As a life-long learner, I also consider myself a mentee and view many people as my mentor, so I hope that my perspectives from past experiences will provide my students with great new learning experiences.

I am able to tutor a variety of math subjects, including pre-algebra, algebra, some calculus, and SAT Math, and also general chemistry. These are my favorite and most comfortable subjects to tutor due to their methodical nature; although, my knowledge is not limited to them. As a tutor, I will do my best to make sure that the student will not only pass his or her exams, but also comes to be interested in the subject. By approaching the problem from a way that the student is most comfortable, I hope boost the student's confidence and make a difficult subject more effortless to grasp.

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Ling’s Qualifications

Education & Certification

Undergraduate Degree: University of California-Irvine - Bachelors, Biomedical Engineering

Graduate Degree: University of California-Irvine - PHD, Biomedical Engineering

Test Scores

SAT Math: 790

SAT Writing: 710

Hobbies

Life-long learning, food, west coast swing, and traveling (sometimes)

Tutoring Subjects

Q & A

What is your teaching philosophy?

Trying different teaching approaches is important for effective learning, but it is also extremely important to break the material down into simple building blocks.

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

In a first session, I may ask the student how they learn best, what they already know, what they have the most trouble with, and whether or not they have an assignment due/test coming up, and then I'll tackle subjects of priority. I may share my study strategies with them, if applicable.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

I would teach the student how to recognize each type of problem and apply strategies and approaches for each type of the problem. It is also important for the student to learn to be resourceful.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

To stay motivated, the student should not feel continuously discouraged if they cannot understand a problem for a long time. Switching gears occasionally will help refresh the student's mind. In addition, simpler problems that teach approaches to complex problems can help break down a frustrating problem.

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

I would start from the simplest building block that the student can understand and build from there. At any point, if the student has trouble understanding, I would backtrack and either re-explain or try different approaches. Then, more complex concepts can be built on top of that.

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

Generally, an illustration or table may help a student visualize a concept.

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

To get the student interested in a subject, it is important to teach them how materials they will learn later on build onto the current materials. Learning about real-life applications of a specific topic can also help gauge interest.

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

To test that a student has a good understanding of a certain concept, I like to ask them questions, starting with very simple ones. Their answers to questions on simpler concepts help me pinpoint any area where they lack understanding or need clarification. Practice problems are also necessary for science and math problems; the student's approach to the problem is an important indicator of their problem -solving approach.

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

The way to help a student build confidence is to work at their limitation of understanding, starting with simpler concepts. Once the simpler concepts are grasped, they should be practiced and reviewed until the student can confidently work through them. This way, the next concept, which builds on the previous one, will be easier to understand.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

To evaluate the student needs, I would first ask the student what he or she needs help with first. Furthermore, a mini-quiz can be given to see which subject area they need help with the most.

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

Adapting to the student's needs involves recognizing when an approach is not working. In addition to trying multiple approaches to help the student learn a concept, it is also important to ask the student if there are particular ways in which they might learn the best and to ask for feedback along with the teaching process.

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

Textbooks generally provide enough key information and examples. However, textbooks and workbooks can sometimes be insufficient in terms of practice problems, so problems can sometimes be pulled from the web or made up.

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