My Teaching Approach
Tabula Rasa: Way better than pen and paper.
Do you know any math teacher who teaches without some kind of chalkboard or dry-erase board? Probably not! I have a large one in my home, and I take my portable one everywhere I drive. Use of a dry erase board is more effective than paper alone, and viewing is easier (as one's hand is not in the way like it is for paper). Most other tutors do not have this equipment, and just stick to pencil and paper. This gets crowded, not only in terms of being really close to someone you don't know well, but also in the sense that it's difficult to both write and let the other person see. Plus it takes more time this way (which costs more money). And you have to worry about space and fitting everything on the page, etc. Anyway, if you're paying a tutor, can't they at least have a board?! Even some major tutoring companies don't use a board. Where is all that money going, anyway...?
As for the academic part, tutoring with me is highly interactive, and I offer real-time, immediate diagnosis and feedback. I rapidly determine where the student is by discussing progressively more (or less) difficult topics until they converge at the student's level. Once we're there, my method of teaching is part lecture, part dialogue. Lecture is not too different from lectures in a university or other classroom. That in and of itself is valuable, but the real value of tutoring is in the one-on-one interaction. I use the dialogue to get a feel for how precisely the student understands a given topic, and I try to lead my students to arrive at conclusions by themselves as opposed to just telling them, so that they really understand what's going on. (Socratic method) Additionally, I can correspond with the student's teacher (if permission is granted) to get information that might be harder to come by otherwise.
I also have a broad perspective on what I teach, and think on many different levels simultaneously: long-term vs short term, math-specific or broader psychological barriers, etc. When explaining things in the short run I try to frame it in a way that will make things easier later on, which not only helps the student, but ultimately drives the costs down in the long run. On the larger psychological background of the student, I'm sensitive to such variables as: Are they sleeping well? Stressed? Having a hard time in life? Etc. Knowing this helps put the sessions in context and helps me help the student.
As one specific example of a level at which my tutoring is happening, sometimes a student thinks their question is "Is this right or wrong?" when it's actually, "Is this conventional notation?". They might ask "Can I do this?". The operative word here is "can". The beginning math student is often unsure about proper notation, thinking there is one and only one correct way to write something (likely a consequence of their teacher only accepting answers in one form, for ease of grading). I might respond with "You can do this OR that; It's up to you.", suggesting that they have a choice, and that math isn't some intangible, distant object beyond their comprehension.
Finally, I try to make my students feel as comfortable as possible, working at their pace (but helping them accelerate). My students never have to feel insecure or underconfident when they work with me. Remember, I've been at the top and at the bottom!
When you search for a tutor, be sure to find out about their teaching methods. If they can't provide much detail, the quality of their teaching should come into question. And when you ask, make sure it is the actual tutor telling you face-to-face, and not a customer service representative over the phone.
As for the academic part, tutoring with me is highly interactive, and I offer real-time, immediate diagnosis and feedback. I rapidly determine where the student is by discussing progressively more (or less) difficult topics until they converge at the student's level. Once we're there, my method of teaching is part lecture, part dialogue. Lecture is not too different from lectures in a university or other classroom. That in and of itself is valuable, but the real value of tutoring is in the one-on-one interaction. I use the dialogue to get a feel for how precisely the student understands a given topic, and I try to lead my students to arrive at conclusions by themselves as opposed to just telling them, so that they really understand what's going on. (Socratic method) Additionally, I can correspond with the student's teacher (if permission is granted) to get information that might be harder to come by otherwise.
I also have a broad perspective on what I teach, and think on many different levels simultaneously: long-term vs short term, math-specific or broader psychological barriers, etc. When explaining things in the short run I try to frame it in a way that will make things easier later on, which not only helps the student, but ultimately drives the costs down in the long run. On the larger psychological background of the student, I'm sensitive to such variables as: Are they sleeping well? Stressed? Having a hard time in life? Etc. Knowing this helps put the sessions in context and helps me help the student.
As one specific example of a level at which my tutoring is happening, sometimes a student thinks their question is "Is this right or wrong?" when it's actually, "Is this conventional notation?". They might ask "Can I do this?". The operative word here is "can". The beginning math student is often unsure about proper notation, thinking there is one and only one correct way to write something (likely a consequence of their teacher only accepting answers in one form, for ease of grading). I might respond with "You can do this OR that; It's up to you.", suggesting that they have a choice, and that math isn't some intangible, distant object beyond their comprehension.
Finally, I try to make my students feel as comfortable as possible, working at their pace (but helping them accelerate). My students never have to feel insecure or underconfident when they work with me. Remember, I've been at the top and at the bottom!
When you search for a tutor, be sure to find out about their teaching methods. If they can't provide much detail, the quality of their teaching should come into question. And when you ask, make sure it is the actual tutor telling you face-to-face, and not a customer service representative over the phone.