All of
Andrew’s current tutoring subjects are listed at the left. You
can read more about
Andrew’s qualifications in specific subjects below.
ACT English
Throughout my life I have accumulated quite a large vocabulary and honed my grammar skills through abundant writing and intellectual conversation. To supplement these life skills, I have recently completed reading two reference books which cover the more technical aspects of the English language such as sentence structure, word definitions and usage and common grammatical errors.
My reading comprehension, logical deduction and inference skill are also good-to-excellent and I have access to a vocabulary building program that has word lists specifically targeted at this section of the ACT test.
ACT Math
Every test guide will tell you that a big part of taking a standardized test is knowing HOW to take the test. This is very important because your two biggest enemies are mental fatigue and time management. You must have the confidence to attack each math problem presented and the mental stamina to stress your brain for three hours straight without making silly, careless errors which this test is designed to let you make. This challenge may be the most difficult and is often overlooked as part of test preparation. I can help with this through my individualized and holistic approach.
I am also making my own supplemental guide to augment popular ones since I've found these books to be lacking in creativity and robustness. I say this because the math sections require three things: a thorough knowledge of geometry and algebra, the ability to apply this knowledge to word problems and unfamiliar phrasing, and the ability to adapt to new thought paradigms when under stress and mental fatigue.
I teach many time saving shortcut methods that emphasize critical thinking, deductive reasoning, simplification, estimation and elimination, all working together to find efficient and effective ways to recognize and solve the problems. The goal is to prioritize and solve as many problems accurately as possible and not fall into any "time traps".
ADD/ADHD
I have now had experience tutoring 5 students diagnosed with ADD/ADHD. So, although I am not professionally trained or qualified in this mental health field, I believe that do know how to handle mild to moderate cases and have had success in keeping students focused on one task. I also have access to a brain training program that is specifically designed to help in this area of attention (Luminosity).
My previous experience has been somewhat personal as well, as I went through school and life with a mild case of ADHD myself, compounded with periods of hypomania. Because of this history, I have a special interest in psychology and have interacted with many people who have either suffered from or exhibited tell-tale symptoms of non-debilitating mental illnesses or learning disorders.
Algebra 1
I have recently completed solving every problem in an Algebra I review guide in order to be fully prepared for any academic requirement for this subject. The guide included a summary of pre-algebra concepts such as number theory, operations, powers and exponents, squares, cubes and roots, signed numbers, fractions and percents.
The guide then went on to cover sets, equations, ratio and proportion, factoring, and algebraic fractions. The next sections covered inequalities, graphing, absolute value, coordinate geometry, domain and range of functions and variations. The next two chapters discussed roots, radicals and quadratic functions, including the quadratic equation and completing the square. The guide ended with an entire chapter devoted to common word problems such as compound interest, percent, applied number problems like age difference, sum of coins, mixing two items together, and simple physics problems like motion and work.
Algebra 2
As an engineer, inventor and independent researcher in the field of investing and macroeconomics, I have used and still frequently use algebra and trigonometry to solve interesting real world problems. Thus, when I first joined this site in late Sept. of 2012, I passed the qualifying tests all the way through pre-calculus and physics fairly easily.
However, I did have some memory holes in some advanced topics, so I spent quite a bit of time reviewing my college textbooks and even purchased a new Algebra II text to fill in these memory holes and cover any topics that may come up in a high school or college level Algebra II class.
I now have some experience tutoring at this level and I also have teaching, training and mentoring experience from my career. I specialize in teaching high level reasoning and critical thinking skills needed to interpret word problems and scientific problems into equations that can be solved using advanced algebra techniques. Thus, I feel that my knowledge and insight of this level of mathematics is a big advantage to others with no applied math experience.
ASVAB
I am quite familiar with this test now and have direct experience tutoring other students. It is exactly the sort of general knowledge test that I excel at because I have experience teaching the core math and English sections. Plus, my experience as an inventor and engineer includes practical knowledge of many general and applied science, physics and mechanical engineering type questions - I have experience with metal working and machining, power systems (motors, generators, batteries and transmission techniques), fluids, gasses and solvents.
I have a wide range of interests and an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. I watch a lot of science, history and sociology documentaries so I am knowledgeable on just about every topic from astronomy to zoology.
The key to this test, even more so than other standardized tests such as the GRE, ACT and SAT is time and stress management. While the math sections are not particularly difficult, they are laden with "time traps" and other tricky questions meant to test your critical thinking and reasoning skills. It is imperative that you understand how to approach these problems and how to do basic math quickly in your head. I teach students many short cut methods and memory aids to facilitate this process, especially if they are not strong in this area.
Lastly, I have also had experience working for the Navy for the first 8 years of my career and both of my siblings were successful officers in the armed forces (Air Force and Navy). Both were stationed in the gulf during each of these wars so I have their life experiences to draw from. So, I believe I am the ideal candidate to tutor for this test.
C
As an embedded software engineer from 1995 to 2001, C was the preferred language at that time. I am very familiar with all aspects of engineering from design, architecture and development to implementation, maintenance and documentation. I am also familiar with some software management systems that handle file/project management, but they are probably dated by now. I am a very fast learner though and am able to adapt basic skills to new operating environments and tools.
Computer Science
My graduate degree is in Computer Science from the University of Nevada-Reno. My thesis topic was Evolutionary Robotics, a branch of Artificial Intelligence that focuses on the use of genetic algorithms to simulate the evolutionary processes of mutation and natural selection in biology to produce new generations of robots that "evolve" desired control strategies and behaviors to adapt to new environments rather than learn through traditional AI methods.
DOS
I have been working with DOS based operating systems since they were created, and still occasionally find myself troubleshooting failed Windows systems by booting to DOS to search through files and copying and/or editing these files in order to fix Windows problems.
Electrical Engineering
My undergraduate degree is in Electronics Engineering Technology, and I worked as an Electrical Design Engineer for the first 8 years of my career. My primary responsibilities were to design and build a wide variety of analog and digital interface and communications circuits as well as design subsystem level components for integration into the Navy's TACTS system. This was in support of their Electronic Warfare desert training range in Northern Nevada (the ground based portion of "Top Gun"). My resume is available upon request.
In addition, following my official retirement from full time work in 2001, I continue to design circuits for my inventions up until present day. I have gained a broad based knowledge in green energy systems, solar power, generators and motors, battery systems and electric vehicles.
English
I have been an active writer throughout my professional career and personal life. As an engineer, I was often tasked with writing technical documents and presentations or summaries for management. I have published two scientific papers in journals and won an award for best presentation at an artificial intelligence symposium in Las Vegas, Nevada, in 1995. I have also been a member of and regular contributor to an on-line research and investing site for 13 years where I have published a few articles and editorials.
I have written over a dozen science fiction short stories and one full length novel, but have yet to publish any fictional work.
Throughout my life I have accumulated quite a large vocabulary and honed my grammar skills through abundant writing and intellectual conversation. To supplement these life skills, I have recently completed reading two reference books which cover the more technical aspects of the English language such as sentence structure, word definitions and usage and common grammatical errors.
Geometry
I have recently completed reviewing a geometry study guide in order to be best prepared for any topic that may come up for this subject. I worked through every problem and went above and beyond what was presented in the proofs in order to deepen my knowledge of the subject. I added these extra proofs, and in-depth analyses of the Pythagorean Theorem and Pythagorean triples to the math study guide I am creating for students preparing to take the ACT/SAT/GRE test.
The geometry review guide covered basic lines, planes, triangles, polygons, and perimeter and area before starting a chapter on similarity. It then moved on to right triangles, circles and geometric solids. The guide concluded with the algebra I crossover topic of coordinate geometry: graphing lines, solving linear equations in standard, point-slope and slope-intercept forms, etc.
Golf
I played golf in high school and was ranked amongst the top 4 in Northern Nevada. After graduating college, I spent two years competing as an amateur, winning one local tournament and qualifying to the second round of the U.S. Open.
I have taught advanced golf techniques to many of my friends in the past and almost all of them said that I immediately helped their game with just one lesson. I have not played since my back injury in 2009, but it is not so bad that I could not demonstrate proper swing technique in all phases of the game, hand position, and rules and strategy, etc.
GRE
See descriptions for English, Geometry, Algebra and Algebra II first, as these are directly applicable to this subject description.
I have two Princeton Review guides to aid in studying for the GRE: "Cracking the GRE: 2013" and "1,014 GRE Practice Questions" (3rd Ed). I am also making my own supplemental guide for the math sections because I've found these books to be lacking in creativity and robustness. I say this because doing well on the math sections requires three things: a thorough knowledge of geometry and algebra, the ability to apply this knowledge to word problems with unfamiliar phrasing, and the ability to adapt to new thought paradigms when under stress and mental fatigue.
This part of test preparation is often underestimated by students, so I can help with my innovative and holistic approach. I teach many time saving shortcut methods that emphasize critical thinking, deductive reasoning, simplification, estimation and elimination, all working together to find efficient and effective ways to recognize and solve the problems. The goal is to avoid "time traps" by prioritizing and solving as many problems as possible.
I also have access to vocabulary building software that is specifically geared towards the GRE and other standardized tests. This is one area of improvement that will increase your scores on the English sections with the least amount of time and effort spent.
Guitar
I have been playing the guitar for over 25 years, and although I am no Yngwie Malmsteen or John Petrucci technically, these are the types of players that I try to emulate in my playing style.
I play and compose entire rock and metal songs and conceptual albums, as well as write lyrics to go with the emotional tone of the music. I would like to start a band someday, or have my work recorded by professional musicians (my demos are not great, and I can't sing very well). However, I plan to upgrade my DAW to ProTools to see if I can produce something that I can independently sell on iTunes.
My style is influenced mostly by classic and neo-classical metal artists from the 80's with a healthy dose of newer symphonic and Eastern European/Nordic goth sound. I enjoy adding orchestral accompaniment like piano and strings, a la Nightwish, Dream Theater, TSO, etc.
Prealgebra
I am qualified to teach geometry, algebra I, and algebra II, and in the process I have gone back to review every lower level topic that may have fallen down the memory hole. Therefore, I am very qualified to tutor pre-algebra.
SAT Math
Every test guide will tell you that a big part of taking a standardized test is knowing HOW to take the test. This is very important because your two biggest enemies are mental fatigue and time management. You must have the confidence to attack each math problem presented and the mental stamina to stress your brain for three hours straight without making silly, careless errors which this test is designed to let you make. This challenge may be the most difficult and is often overlooked as part of test preparation. I can help with this through my individualized and holistic approach.
I am also making my own supplemental guide to augment popular ones since I've found these books to be lacking in creativity and robustness. I say this because the math sections require three things: a thorough knowledge of geometry and algebra, the ability to apply this knowledge to word problems and unfamiliar phrasing, and the ability to adapt to new thought paradigms when under stress and mental fatigue.
I teach many time saving shortcut methods that emphasize critical thinking, deductive reasoning, simplification, estimation and elimination, all working together to find efficient and effective ways to recognize and solve the problems. The goal is to prioritize and solve as many problems accurately as possible and not fall into any "time traps".
Songwriting
I've been playing guitar and writing songs for over 20 years. Currently, I am working on a science fiction rock opera done in the style of Queensryche's "Operation Mindcrime" that tells an epic story set in a dystopic future. I am not a classically trained musician, but I know how to put a song together with harmonies, melodies and rhythms, and I am somewhat familiar with scales and modes.
Vocabulary
I have accumulated a fairly large vocabulary through the years due to a voracious appetite for knowledge, prolific writing, endless hours of recreational reading and exercising basic conversational skills with many brilliant people that I have gravitated towards.
However, I am finding that although I still recognize hundreds of uncommon and erudite words, their meanings have become quite nebulous or have vanished completely. So, I have taken it upon myself to break out the dictionary, recapture this lost knowledge and build a more robust vocabulary in order to help students study for the English sections of the ACT, SAT and GRE tests.
World History
I have a big interest in World History and I often watch documentaries - everything from ancient Mesopotamia to recent conflicts in that same area. I am also interested in the deeper meaning of history beyond dates and events. E.g., I understand the "why's" and "how's" of many cultures, religions and nation states in addition to the "who's and "when's".
I also have a few World History books to use as reference including a college text and a complete timeline that correlates historical and political dates with arts and literature, science and technology, religion and philosophy, and daily life.
Writing
I have been an active writer throughout my professional career and personal life. As an engineer, I was often tasked with writing technical documents and presentations or summaries for management. I have published two scientific papers in journals and won an award for best presentation at an artificial intelligence symposium in Las Vegas, Nevada, in 1995. I have also been a member of and regular contributor to an on-line research and investing site for 13 years where I have published a few articles and editorials.
I have written over a dozen science fiction short stories and one full length novel, but have yet to publish any fictional work.
Throughout my life, I have accumulated quite a large vocabulary and honed my grammar skills through abundant writing and intellectual conversation. To supplement these life skills, I have recently completed reading two reference books which cover the more technical aspects of the English language such as sentence structure, word definitions and usage and common grammatical errors.