Experience Summary
My scholastic work includes a PhD in Mathematics and a MS in Electrical Engineering. I have taught and done research in mathematics for over 30 years and have tutored students at the high school and college level during the same period, as well as mentoring them in research projects. One of the more enjoyable aspects of my career was working with students in one-on-one tutoring situations. This extensive experience has helped me develop my Socratic tutoring method, described below.
Teaching Style
My primary goal is to help the student understand the material so that it makes sense. My tutoring style involves asking lots of questions. The answers to these questions enable me to determine where the student's difficulties lie and how to address them. I don't believe that telling someone a fact or algorithm or the answer to a problem has much lasting value, so I attempt to lead the student to her or his own understanding by a series of carefully structured questions. This way the student actually learns the material and can be confident in solving whatever problems are presented, so their school work goes better. When I do my job well, I work myself out of a tutoring job!