Math Background
I have an extensive background in both levels of algebra. Although I have tutored many of my friends growing up while in grade school, I officially started tutoring algebra in my junior year in high school through the Boys & Girls Club of Venice at an elementary school. In a short period of time, I successfully identified the individual areas the students struggled in and tailored my tutoring approach to meet those individual needs. As time went by, the students trusted me and knew the crucial importance of asking questions and working strategically to understand the material. Currently while at the University of Southern California (USC), I am a 10th grade math tutor for the USC Neighborhood Academic Initiative (NAI), a rigorous seven year college preparation program designed to help at-risk middle and high school students succeed in school and transition into top-tier universities around the country. Building on my experience at the Boys & Girls Club, I have implemented engaging strategies that facilitate the learning process for the students. One of the most important strategies I have implemented is connecting the particular mathematical topic to the real world. One of the most commonly asked questions teachers and tutors are asked is "why do we need to learn this"? and "How can it be used in the real world"? I believe connecting the material to their future lives is crucial to their success because they will understand that comprehension of mathematics will put them in a better position to succeed financially. I believe that my strategy to teaching mathematics is unique and different from many other tutors (and even teachers). Many tutors simply show students "How" to do a particular problem and neglect explaining both "Why" a particular problem is done that way and alternate ways of doing the problem. This approach often leads students into the vicious learning style of memorization. Students memorize the particular steps for a certain problem but end up struggling during tests because they see the problem written in a different form. By understanding an exhaustive collection of methods to solve a problem and why a problem is solved the way that it is, students will be able to successfully apply their knowledge to problems they see for the first time during an exam. Along with my unique approach to tutoring math, I also share test-taking strategies (that I have learned over the course of over 10 math classes) with students and help them overcome anxiety during tests as well. Ultimately, my approach to tutoring seeks to make learning math a fun experience that students will enjoy.
Excel Background
I have over 5 years of experience using Microsoft Excel. I started using excel for an economics professor I had while attending Santa Monica College. I programmed mathematical functions in spreadsheets that he used to facilitate the learning experience for over 300 students. Besides my on-going experimenting with Excel, I enhanced my knowledge of the software through an Excel For Business course that I took in the Fall semester of 2012. The material of this course exposed me to even more techniques that related to formatting, text functions, data manipulation, and most importantly, organizing spreadsheets efficiently and presenting them in a clear and concise manner. I am currently taking a data analysis class and a business forecasting class that is expanding my knowledge of Excel even more. At one of my current places of employment (The USC Career Center), I assist several of the counselors with Excel-related projects that include: updating employer, student, and alumni databases, creating and analyzing budgets for events, and other projects as well. I also teach many of the other student associates different techniques that can be used in Excel to minimize the time investment needed to complete a particular project. I believe my teaching strategy is unique because I can effectively communicate with students and understand the goals they want to achieve. With the student's approval, I can also incorporate several business applications like calculating tax, calculating a discount, performing a loan amortization, calculating the future value of money, and other business applications. Although every student might not have to goal of becoming a business major, I believe every student should have a basic understand of financial literacy and how to determine, for example, which credit card they should decide to have and the risks associated with putting a small down payment on a car loan.
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