Nick
Certified Tutor
I have always been enthusiastic about school and learning since elementary school. Although school did not always come easily for me, I learned the value of hard work and asking for help when I needed it. Since elementary school, I have always enjoyed math and science classes the most.
After graduating college in North Dakota, I moved to New York City to pursue my education degree. I taught middle school math for seven years at all grade levels. This experience provided me the opportunity to work with many different students and I learned that each student is extremely unique. In 2011, I moved back to Minnesota and taught both special education and general education students again focusing mainly on teaching math.
I believe that all students can learn and I have experienced this firsthand. I have high expectations for each student I teach and work hard to learn individual learning styles and life interests. By building relationships in this way, I believe that real learning takes place.
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Undergraduate Degree:University of North Dakota- Bachelors, Psychology
Graduate Degree:Concordia University-Saint Paul- Masters, Special Education
I enjoy playing a variety of sports including soccer, basketball, and golf. I also enjoy running and riding my bike. I also enjoy spending time in the kitchen trying to make new dishes.
- 3rd Grade Math
- 4th Grade Math
- 5th Grade Math
- 6th Grade
- 7th Grade Math
- Algebra
- Elementary School
- Elementary School Math
- Homework Support
- HSPT Math
- HSPT Quantitative
- ISEE Prep
- ISEE- Lower Level
- Middle School
- Middle School Math
- Other
- Pre-Algebra
- Reading
- 年代pecial Education
- 年代坐Prep
- 年代坐- Elementary Level
- 年代tudy Skills
- 年代tudy Skills and Organization
- 年代ummer
- Test Prep
- Writing
What might you do in a typical first session with a student?
The first session with a student is spent getting to know the student and family. My goal would be to gather some baseline academic data, and learning about personal interests and learning style.
What is your teaching philosophy?
My teaching philosophy is believing that all students have the potential to be successful. It's my job to learn what interests each student and to determine how each students learns the best. I believe that getting to know each student and building the relationship is essential to a successful partnership.
How can you help a student become an independent learner?
I help students become independent learners by helping them experience success early to build their confidence. In addition, I believe in teaching life-long strategies that can be used when nobody is around to help.
How would you help a student stay motivated?
I believe in setting short and long-term goals with each student as a strategy to stay motivated. In addition, I work hard to connect all learning to real-world applications so the importance of the learning is clear.
If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, what would you do?
I would teach the skill or concept in more than one way. If a student doesn't understand one way of learning the skill, it often helps to try a new strategy.
How do you help students who are struggling with reading comprehension?
I help students break up a text into small chunks and check for understanding after each chunk. During a tutoring session, it helps to discuss parts of the text as you go, trying to make connections and determine the main idea.
What strategies have you found to be most successful when you start to work with a student?
It's important to build a relationship at first. I want each student to know who I am, and I want to know each student's interests and learning styles. In addition, goal-setting is an important first step.
How would you help a student get excited/engaged with a subject that they are struggling in?
I believe that learning should have real-world applications. I work to connect all learning to the real-world.
What techniques would you use to be sure that a student understands the material?
I ask a lot of questions during tutoring sessions to check for understanding.
How do you build a student's confidence in a subject?
I try to have the student experience early success. I believe that experiencing early success builds confidence.
How do you evaluate a student's needs?
First I ask the student what he or she thinks their needs are with the content. After that, I like to use some assessments to dig deeper and determine specific needs related to the content.
How do you adapt your tutoring to the student's needs?
Once I know the student better, I adapt my style to meet their learning style (verbal, visual, hands-on, etc.).