Experience Summary
While in college (1988-1994), I worked as a grader in the math department, with a goal of providing useful feedback to the students. I also began working as a tutor at Austin Community College (ACC) in their free learning labs at this time.
I have worked at ACC for about 10 years, tutoring math classes from basic math through calculus, differential equations, linear algebra, discrete math and probability. I also tutor physics, chemistry, statistics and writing. I have done some classroom teaching of the lower level math classes, but, as I do not have a master's degree, I cannot, by law, formally teach the upper level classes, though I would like to, and though I have been used as a substitute teacher on occasion for these classes.
Teaching Style
My goal when working with students is to fully describe the steps necessary to solving various classes of problems, often in an outline form, for it is in learning these steps that a student becomes an independent learner.
I like to work through as many examples as the student needs, gradually working them into the problem-solving process, until they are able to work a few completely on their own, or, in some way, demonstrate understanding of the material. Of course, this method is a little easier to employ in one on one tutoring sessions, but even with my work in the classroom, I feel student participation is crucial to the learning environment.