Our Tutors

Gary G

Teaching Style

My teaching style has been, for the most part, dictated by student response. I am comfortable teaching in a traditional lecture format, in a format that uses a cooperative learning approach exclusively, or in a hybrid format. The goal is for effective learning to take place, and I believe my strongest quality is to be able to adapt in such a way that best helps students reach their academic goals.

Experience Summary

For eight years, I taught freshman and sophomore-level mathematics courses at Arizona State University. These courses included College Algebra, Pre-Calculus, Calculus, Finite Mathematics, and Elementary Mathematics Theory. Additionally, I have tutored students in these courses both in the Mathematics Department Tutor Center, and on my own personal time.

Nova N

Teaching Style

I love seeing students succeed. I am an excellent teacher because I really care, therefore I put in extra effort to planning and making lessons effective. When possible, I use materials that match student interests. I foster an emotionally safe learning environment so that students feel comfortable. I keep my interactions with students very positive. I believe that emphasizing what a student does right works better than focusing on mistakes.

Experience Summary

I am passionate about helping students learn. My experience includes: • 2 years as a Reading teacher and 2 years as an ESOL teacher. • 8 years as a tutor. • 2 years as a manager and supervisor. • 10 years in technology and business systems I have a Master’s degree in Language Education, and I hold several Florida teaching certifications including Reading Endorsement. I have tutored elementary, middle and high school students, as well as adults. Subjects tutored include Reading and English.

Noah N

Teaching Style

I like to break down whatever skill I'm teaching in the simplest form at first. This means explaining the concept of the skill in a way that the student can understand what it is we are trying to do. I also try to use a pictorial representation of the skill if that is needed. After that I'll show them how I work a problem with that particular skill so they can see firsthand what the thought process is and the steps that are needed to use that particular skill whether it is adding fractions or solving equations, etc. Then I'll give the student a problem to do on their own while I guide them through the steps. If they get off on a particular step I'll correct them immediately and get them on the right path. Once I feel they understand what is going on and how to work a problem, I'll give them a problem to do without me watching them and see if they can get the answer right by themselves. Then I'll correct the problem and if they got the answer right, great, and if they got it wrong I'll then analyze which step the student made their mistake on and we'll work to correct it.

Experience Summary

I received my BS degree in Math Education in Spring of 2001 at Florida State University. While at FSU I worked in the Math Help Center for three months. I taught math for two years and decided to choose a different career path in Actuarial Mathematics. I am currently finishing my master's degree at Florida State University. For two years I tutored math at all levels at Sylvan Learning Center in Tallahassee. In that time I learned different things related to presenting the math in a way that can be understood regardless of the level of the student. Mostly I focus on explaining the most important steps of a particular skill and then guiding the student to developing their understanding of that skill.

Nathan N

Teaching Style

I believe in completing an individual needs assessment and designing a study approach around that assessment. I believe in constant reinforcement and reassessment. I also believe it is useful to utilize as many and as varied forms of instruction as possible (written, audio-visual, demonstration, etc.) to solidify a concept. Promoting thorough understanding rather than route memory and recognition skills is paramount.

Experience Summary

Over the years (as undergrad and graduate), I have tutored middle school and elementary age students in various subjects. I have also been a resource for undergrad and graduate health science students while serving as a graduate assistant (public health master's program). I proctored exams and held tutoring and review sessions prior to testing. I have two master's degrees, three undergraduate degrees, and experience as a paramedic, nurse, and substitute teacher.

Victoria V

Teaching Style

I truly enjoy teaching. My strategy involves actively engaging the student in the learning process. I always try to develop personalized programs based on each student's strengths and weaknesses.

Experience Summary

In 2006 I graduated from Bowling Green State University (Ohio) with a Master of Science degree. During my Master's program I worked as a teaching assistant in General and Organic Chemistry Laboratories. I was responsible for a brief introduction of the material prior to every lab period. This greatly helped me to learn how to organize material I was to present and explain difficult concepts in a simple manner. At USC as a Ph.D. student, I had a chance to work for the Student Athletes Academic Service where I was a chemistry and math tutor. In addition, during the spring of 2007 I was working as an assistant for the Organic Chemistry Course at LA Trade Tech College, where I was responsible for weekly sessions.

Gregory G

Teaching Style

I believe the true way to teach is to make a connection for each student: relate the material to something the student already knows. A more “hands-on” approach will allow the student to learn faster with greater retention. I feel that every student has the ability to learn, and that it is the teacher’s job to provide each student with the connection. In today’s age, classrooms have become over-crowded thus making it more difficult for the teacher to make that connection. It is the job of the tutor to fill in the gaps. With this theory, I try to use my experience in the work field to relate the subject matter to the student’s surroundings – hence math and science are my forte. I work well with children by making learning fun, but also have the knowledge of complex problems to provide the same environment for high school and college students.

Experience Summary

As a child of an Air Force pilot, I have always loved aviation. I strived hard in school to get the best grades to one day become a “Rocket Scientist” and design the plane of the future. In high school I was known for my good grades, and passed on my knowledge by tutoring my fellow classmates and students in earlier grades. After high school, I graduated from one of the top Aerospace schools in the country, and went on to work for a few companies: two small businesses and a large government contractor. I have completed many diverse programs successfully. When talking with friends about my career endeavors, I found myself giving more of a teaching course on how stuff works (e.g. planes, missiles, GPS, etc). I have since realized my passion for teaching, and that tutoring allows me to obtain both goals in my life: teaching and engineering.

Nigel N

Teaching Style

I believe that every child is capable of learning and that every child has their own style of learning. As a teacher, I believe in differentiated instruction that allows all students an equal opportunity to learn. I believe in teaching through student exploration. Once a child is able to discover a concept on their own, they are able to better understand and remember it. My approach to teaching is to expose students to practical problems. Once these problems are understood, I introduce a mathematical concept that should allow them to discover a solution to the problem. Throughout this approach, I’m always encouraging and patient. I always stress the importance of making an attempt at solving a problem, as in my favorite quote, “Without struggle, there is no progress.”

Experience Summary

During completion of my undergraduate degree in math, I always strived to achieve excellence in education and to pass on my love for learning. Throughout my college career, I’ve tutored at the undergraduate, the middle and the high school levels. Such exposure allowed me to determine the concepts students have the most difficulty in understanding, and I’m able to prepare accordingly. Upon completion of my degree, I accepted an analyst position with an HR Consulting firm. During these four years, I gained vital experience that allows me to transfer mathematical concepts into real world examples. Such experience has proven to be critical in helping students visualize practical examples of what they learn. I have since left the Consulting firm and entered into teaching. I’m finally doing what I enjoy the most, teaching and passing on a love for learning.

Ali A

Teaching Style

I enjoy class discussion and participation when I am teaching in classroom. I would recommend my students to review the course ahead of time. Once I explain the subject, it will clarify any ambiguity. The other strategy that I use is to ask the students to pretend that they are the teacher and have them explain it back to me. This has been one of the best methods that help students realize whether they have understood the concept.

Experience Summary

I graduated from the University of California, Santa Cruz with a bachelor's degree in Molecular and Cell Biology. I began teaching organic chemistry, shortly after my graduation, as a Teaching Assistant (TA). In that capacity, I held discussion sections in which I reviewed the subject in detail and worked with students in the laboratory. I worked with groups of twenty students in secondary discussion sections and laboratory experiments. At the same time, I worked as a tutor in science courses such as physics, chemistry, biology and math. As a premed student, I have been teaching MCAT (Medical College Admission Test) courses in biology, organic chemistry and general chemistry. I am very enthusiastic about teaching and feel privileged to be able to help others.