Qualification:

Bachelor's and Master's in Electrical Engineering

Experience:

I am a math and sciences tutor who has been tutoring both professionally and "off-the-cuff" since I was 14 years old. I have a Bachelor's and Master's of Science in Electrical Engineering with a focus in Power System Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, and have taken a very heavy STEM curriculum. I am a very detail- and rule-oriented person, which is very critical for navigating the world of the hard sciences.

Approach:

To me, effective tutoring is the same as effective communication. Whenever I meet with a new student or discuss a new subject, I always make it a point to interview the student and work to understand their perspective. I ask questions like: "What are some of the issues you have with this topic?", "What can I do to help you learn this better?", "Would you learn better if I were to go over the material again, or would you need a different approach to explaining these topics?", and "What are some hobbies or activities you enjoy doing?". By actively understanding their perspective and their needs, a plan of action can be formed. It is very surprising, but in my 15 years of tutoring, I have found that the majority of students actually do not need a fully-structured lesson plan, but just need guidance on their most troublesome topics. There are two teaching methods that I have found to be very effective: Socratic Questioning, and Docendo Discimus (which sounds fancy, but is just Greek for "By Teaching, We Learn"). Socratic Questioning is back-and-forth communication between the tutor and student with an emphasis on engaging the student and putting to light what they do (and do not) understand. This method helps to develop critical thinking not just for the topic of study in question, but to also help promote future self-learning; an extremely valuable skill! Docendo Discimus is getting the student to teach the tutor. Teaching a subject usually requires significant understanding of all the important details and nuances of the topic, and there is no better way to expose any flawed understandings or issues than by seeing the student attempt to explain them!

Area:

All Areas