
Ashley
Certified Tutor
Undergraduate Degree: North Dakota State University - Bachelors, Civil Engineering
ACT Composite: 31
ACT Math: 34
ACT Reading: 34
Learning new things/taking online courses, Gardening, Making Soap, Home Improvement Projects, Reading, Traveling, Spending Time with Family, Biking and Hiking
10th Grade Math
11th Grade Math
12th Grade Math
9th Grade Math
Algebra 3/4
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Civil Engineering
College English
Elementary Algebra
Elementary School Math
Engineering
Ethics
High School English
High School Level American History
Law
Middle School Reading
Social Sciences
Statics
What is your teaching philosophy?
Working through problems a student has, such as homework or practice tests, allows me to see what a student needs the most help with. I can then develop practice problems or strategies to best fit the student's learning style, which also can be seen when working through a few practice problems.
How would you help a student stay motivated?
To help students stay motivated, I like to remind them of the progress they have made thus far. Often times students are so zoomed in and focused on daily hindrances, that they forget to look back to where they first started.
If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, what would you do?
When students encounter difficulties learning a concept, I try to re-approach the subject in a different way. For example, giving visual aids (like graphs for showing midpoints on lines) can help some students understand better than when words are used.
What techniques would you use to be sure that a student understands the material?
I believe that the best way to know if a student understands the material is to have a student try to teach/explain the subject. If a person can teach it, they really know the subject. For example, I would have a student complete a problem, and then explain to me how they approached the question and why they did it that way.
How do you build a student's confidence in a subject?
By working through sample questions with a student, and then having the student complete questions with very little or no help. Once a student sees that he/she is able to complete the questions without help, confidence will follow. More familiarity will also lead to confidence over time.
How do you evaluate a student's needs?
I begin by asking students what they think they are having issues with. We will then look at a few questions within that subject matter and work through the questions. This should show what concepts they are struggling with and allow us to go more in depth on those topics.
How do you adapt your tutoring to the student's needs?
If a student is not understanding an explanation of a concept, I try to explain it in a different way until the student can understand. This may include using real world examples that are applicable to the student or drawing diagrams/pictures for students.
What might you do in a typical first session with a student?
During a first session I like to discuss with students what they think they need help with. I will then pick an appropriate set of problems/questions to work through with students to see the specifics of what they are struggling with. We can then move forward, addressing issues seen in the first session.