Matthew is a graduate of the University of Hawaii at Manoa, where he received both his Bachelor's with Honors and Master's degrees in Philosophy. A firm believer in compassionate Socratic pedagogy, Matthew focuses skills development and comprehension of content through engagement with his students. Raport with his students is central to his style of tutoring, as he focuses on improving existing understanding and skills rather than just lecturing about all and sundry. This requires that the students themselves are actively engaged participants. Matthew refuses to drone on or lecture where he believes discussion or questions on the students' part are far more effective for figuring out what weaknesses they have. These methods, he contends, are also more effective for shoring up those weaknesses and turning them into strengths. After all, if simply reading or listening to the teacher's lectures were enough for the students, why would they be seeking tutoring?