Trevor
Certified Tutor
I am a senior mechanical engineering student at the Colorado School of Mines. Using the knowledge I have gained and will gain at Mines, I want to become involved in the forefront of renewable energy technologies. I have been putting my goals into action the last two years by interning at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory doing research in photovoltaic reliability. In high school and college, I have gained experience mentoring peers and helping them not only succeed, but enjoy their school work. I believe that for a student to have an effective learning experience, the tutor must not only be passionate about teaching, but also about learning. As a passionate learner, I try to interpret the world around me, be that math, science, or why my garden behaves differently in Colorado than my family's in Nebraska. Early on in life, I loved numbers, patterns, and the problem solving nature of my parents' careers. This led to me enjoying math, science and engineering and turning those interests into a potential career. Using my passion for these subjects, I have tutored many middle school and high school aged students, along with helping my peers. Apart from learning, I enjoy solving challenging problems and puzzles, reading, being outdoors, and running on the varsity cross country and track and field teams at Colorado School of Mines.
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Undergraduate Degree:Colorado School of Mines- Current Undergrad, Mechanical Engineering
- ACT English: 34
- ACT Math: 35
- ACT Reading: 33
- ACT Science: 36
- SAT Mathematics Level 2: 790
Learning, running, sports, math, science, reading, fishing, hunting, outdoors, puzzles and brain teasers
- 10th Grade
- 10th Grade Math
- 10th Grade Reading
- 11th Grade
- 11th Grade Math
- 11th Grade Reading
- 12th Grade
- 12th Grade Math
- 12th Grade Reading
- 1st Grade
- 1st Grade Math
- 2nd Grade
- 2nd Grade Math
- 3rd Grade
- 3rd Grade Math
- 3rd Grade Science
- 4th Grade
- 4th Grade Math
- 4th Grade Science
- 5th Grade
- 5th Grade Math
- 5th Grade Science
- 6th Grade
- 6th Grade Math
- 6th Grade Reading
- 6th Grade Science
- 7th Grade
- 7th Grade Math
- 7th Grade Reading
- 7th Grade Science
- 8th Grade
- 8th Grade Math
- 8th Grade Reading
- 8th Grade Science
- 9th Grade
- 9th Grade Math
- 9th Grade Reading
- ACT Prep
- ACT English
- ACT Math
- ACT Reading
- ACT Science
- Adult Literacy
- Algebra
- Algebra 2
- American Literature
- Calculus
- Chemistry
- College Chemistry
- College English
- College Level American Literature
- Comparative Literature
- Earth Science
- Elementary Algebra
- Elementary School
- Elementary School Math
- Elementary School Reading
- Elementary School Science
- Engineering
- English
- Essay Editing
- General Chemistry
- Geometry
- High School
- High School Chemistry
- High School English
- High School Level American Literature
- High School Physics
- Homework Support
- Intermediate Algebra
- Literature
- Math
- Mechanical Engineering
- Middle School
- Middle School Math
- Middle School Reading
- Middle School Reading Comprehension
- Middle School Science
- Physics
- Pre-Algebra
- Pre-Calculus
- Public Speaking
- Reading
- SAT Subject Test in Mathematics Level 2
- SAT Subject Tests Prep
- Science
- Statics and Dynamics
- Test Prep
- Trigonometry
What is your teaching philosophy?
我相信教育(包括的classroom) is one of the most important things in life. Learning how the world works and about the things that inhabit the Earth is an essential part of life. Students and teachers alike need to be passionate about learning about our surroundings.
What might you do in a typical first session with a student?
In the first session with a student, I would get to know them and how they learn best. Different people learn in different ways; some students may know exactly how they learn best, and some may not. This is something that I have to uncover through working with the student so the future of their education is meaningful and efficient.
How can you help a student become an independent learner?
Students can become independent learners by becoming passionate and motivated about a topic. It doesn't always have to be math or science. If a student is highly interested in learning about a specific topic, it is important to provide them with the support (in both materials and motivation) to pursue that interest and act as a catalyst for future learning.
How would you help a student stay motivated?
It is tough to keep all students motivated about many core topics in school, especially math. Many students feel that it "doesn't really matter" to them. While they may not have to use Calculus five years from now, it is important to motivate them to learn all they can about a subject because it allows them to think deeper in different ways (depending on the subject). Interesting topics must be introduced for some of these subjects to garner passion and learning.
If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, what would you do?
It is important try to rework a concept in order for a student to be able to learn it. This will be based on their learning style. For some, they may be able to better envision the volume of a shape if they actually feel and touch the shape, and to not just conceptualize what the shape is like.
How do you help students who are struggling with reading comprehension?
Like many skills, you have to work from the ground up. Reading comprehension is a great example of this. It is hard to understand dense literature sometimes, so we must work our way up to that. First, we must understand basic concepts in basic literature. Then we delve deeper and try to analyze each literary piece to the best of our ability. With enough practice, reading comprehension will improve.
What strategies have you found to be most successful when you start to work with a student?
Most students don't want to be staring at a book all day, so it is important to bring in new methods of learning. Humans learn best when we enjoy what we are learning, so often times I will create games or more interesting ways of approaching a topic.
How would you help a student get excited/engaged with a subject that they are struggling in?
I would find a way to teach the subject so that it's not out of a book or on paper. Many topics are much more interesting in the context of the real world.
What techniques would you use to be sure that a student understands the material?
Full comprehension can be indicated by the student being able to teach the material back to me. When you tell others about a subject, it solidifies that knowledge so much better than only hearing about it.
How do you build a student's confidence in a subject?
Confidence is built in steps. The student can't jump right in to the dense parts of a subject. Therefore, it is important to boost their confidence in steps. Once they are confident about subject A, they can more easily be confident about subject B.
How do you evaluate a student's needs?
年级的学生是一个很好的指标performing in a subject, however, it isn't always related to how passionate a student is about a subject. Interest and performance in a subject are important, but the latter doesn't always lead to the former. Once I evaluate that the student simply isn't liking the subject, we can start from their and garner interest in the subject so that they are more interested in performing better.
How do you adapt your tutoring to the student's needs?
Each student learns differently, and can even learn differently depending on the topic. Once I can identify how they learn (be that hands on, from a book, or from watching others do it), I can more easily tailor how I should approach the subject.
What types of materials do you typically use during a tutoring session?
I love using the classic paper and pen, but also enjoy using whiteboards, educational videos and hands on activities to bring excitement into learning a subject.