| Tutor's Name: |
David
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| College: |
University of Minnesota-Morris; Morris, MN; B.A. Chemistry, May 2003 |
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| Tutoring Experience: |
1 years |
| Location: |
St. Louis Park, MN |
Approximate Travel
Radius in Miles: |
15 |
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from zip code
55416 |
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Availability: |
I am available M/W/Th/F, 5p-9p, and weekends 10a-6p.
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| Subject Areas: |
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--Middle School: Math; Pre-Algebra; Science
--HS Math: Pre-Algebra; Algebra One; Geometry; Statistics
--HS Science: Basic Science; Chemistry; Honors Chemistry; Physics
--College Physical/Life Science: Chemistry, General; Chemistry, Organic; Chemistry, Quantitative |
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GENERAL EXPERIENCE: I've been interested in helping others learn since I was in high school. I saw my teachers' passion for their work, and the profound effect this had on the students' ability to excel. I was so inspired by their example, I considered becoming a teacher. I took multiple education courses in college which included direct interaction with grade school students. Though I decided to pursue science rather than education as my primary career, I continued to find outlets for my desire to teach others. I volunteered as a tutor for General and Organic Chemistry during my senior year. The drop-in basis of the tutoring enabled me to work with many different students and learning styles, and adapt my approach accordingly. For the seven years since graduation, I've applied math and science principles to real-world problems daily as a lab chemist. Part of my job is to help spread understanding of these principles to colleagues who are less experienced or have different areas of expertise, and that aspect of my work has many parallels to tutoring. Apart from my daily job, I've participated in outreach programs offered through my various employers, performing educational science demonstrations for students. I've continued my interest in higher-level education as well, by serving as a course coordinator and Education Committee volunteer for the Minnesota Chromatography Forum.
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APPROACH TO TUTORING: I believe the keys to a successful student/tutor relationship are patience, communication, and adaptability. As rewarding as it is when a student experiences a breakthrough of understanding on difficult or abstract concepts, it can be frustrating when that goal proves elusive. I try to ask questions to determine what aspect of a problem or topic a student needs help with, tailor my approach accordingly, solicit feedback whether that approach is helpful, and employ a different explanation if needed. Particularly in math and science, I've found that students' difficulties often stem from not being able to relate the material to something within their base of experience, and that by helping them find a connection to something they know, I can make material more approachable and understandable. Regardless of the specific approach I use, my goal is to reveal the reasoning process behind solving a given problem: Knowing how to solve the problem is important, but understanding why the problem is solved that way can be equally valuable. Many parts of mastering material, such as repetitive practice, are ultimately up to the student, but I think a good tutor provides the needed tools to make mastery possible.
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