All of
R Bruce’s current tutoring subjects are listed at the left. You
can read more about
R Bruce’s qualifications in specific subjects below.
Algebra 1
Algebra 1 can seem like a big step from the concrete world into abstracts. This can bamboozle many students - but it's not that hard... There are really simple and quick ways to make this a seamless and EASY process. Algebra is a very powerful tool in multiple situations, so it's well worth the effort to make it work for you. Repeat - work for you - not scare you.
Algebra 2
Algebra 2 kicks in with much more powerful analysis tools to describe and evaluate real-life situations in hundreds of scientific disciplines. It is a must for those following the sciences - but can intimidate if the core concepts aren't fully mastered. Getting a solid grounding in core concepts is the key to turning Algebra 2 from a scary snake into an inoffensive (but very useful) worm.
Calculus
Calculus is where math really brings years of preparation into fine focus and offers powerful ways of resolving extremely complex problems - easily and quickly.
Many students are unecessarily scared of calculus. Don't be! If you study and master the basic concepts then (as in other disciplines) you will find you can hold your own and smile at your prowess.
Two major calculus areas are; "differentiation" - which looks at rates of change of functions, and "integration" - which allows you to calculate areas and volumes of functions which, otherwise, with lesser math skills, would be impossible to calculate.
This is "turbo-math" at is very best! Enjoy it!
Career Development
As a graduate engineer, entered multinationals via steel manufacture (England) and then auto parts (US Steel, Brazil). From there moved into hospital products (Johnson & Johnson Brazil) and on into self employment. Taught Career Development in Technical Colleges (resume building, interview techniques, behavior, anger management, office technology, etc). Great experience in change management and its impact on careers.
Experience as a technical person in manufacture, engineering management, upper level management on to directorships - going through the multiple changes required in personal style, leadership, and behavior.
Graduate in Manager Development Program of US Steel leading to world-standard management. Well-versed in Transactional Analysis and Emotional Intelligence applied to business.
Differential Equations
I have experience tutoring differential and integral calculus with another tutoring service for 3+ years. This encompasses the study of differential equations. The students have all been 11th and 12th grade in various schools around Gwinnett county in Georgia.
Some functions can be more complex and require powerful ways to find their differentials, (which can also be called "prime" of a function).
Examples are:
The Chain Rule which resolves prime of f(g(x)) into f'(g(x)) x g'(x) which can be put into words as, prime of the outer function times prime of inner function. Note: rather difficult to demonstrate this example on a keyboard.
The Product Rule resolves (f.g)' - the differential of the product of two functions, f(x) times g(x) which becomes
f'.g + g'.f i.e. the prime of f(x) times g(x) plus the prime of g(x) times f(x).
ESL/ESOL
I lived in Brazil for 30 years and had a school teaching English to executives in multinational companies.
We developed an easy system to show how English works.
English is very different from Spanish and Portuguese. Understanding the differences helps you to see HOW to speak English.
We know how hard English can be for people from other countries.
queremos ayudarle a aprender rápido y fácil
hasta luego,
ate logo
Geometry
Geometry can seem daunting because you "have to" memorize so many theorems.
But, in reality, if you break each theorem down into common sense (often with a quick sketch) then a hazy notion or idea can turn into a clear understanding instantly.
Macintosh
I learned Microsoft Windows in the mid 1980's with a great teacher, but, it didn't take long to discover that Windows really is a massive bandage covered in band-aids! Just look at the volumes of updates they put out constantly to "fix" issues.
Two years ago, I finally made it to my MacBook and they say, "Once on a Mac - Never Go Back!
It takes a little while to adjust to Mac's interface. That's where I can help you.
I studied and spent a many hours digging around to become fully familiar with the system. That's time I can save you!
Once you know your way around, you'll find that Macs are intuitively easy to grasp and manage. They make common sense, and you'll see that many of MS recent ideas are really copied from Mac.
I can help you feel comfortable with your Mac in just a few short hours.
Microsoft Word
MS Word is the international standard for producing text. Mastery of Word makes it easy to produce tip-top professional-looking documents with more resources available than most of us can imagine. It's a VERY powerful tool TOO powerful for most - but can be mastered relatively quickly with a little one-on-one training.
Phonics
Phonics is the art of translating vowel sequences into long or short sounds. Long sounds can be equated to the sounds of the alphabetic vowels, a, e, i, o, u. The short sounds, are like, cat, get, bit, cot, and cut.
Most consonants, in English, carry a stable sound pattern and can be memorized easily. Consonant sequences, like 'ph', 'th', and 'sh' all carry a specific sound. Once a vowel sequence is recognized as such, then reading capability increases exponentially.
I have used phonics to teach reading to both my boys, whom I home-school, with enormous success. It not only has taught them to read well, but has enhanced their spelling abilities.
Phonics is a tool I have used to help teach adults English as a Foreign Language. I set up and ran an English school for executives in Sao Paulo, Brazil (1990s) where I designed, wrote, and taught all the major concepts of the English language (from basic to advanced levels). This included phonics to improve pronunciation and accent reduction, while enhancing reading skills.
I recently taught ESOL here in Suwanee, Georgia (Donna/Dr. Davis - Dental Office) where phonics was the initial focus. The students left that office recently.
Physics
Physics is a fascinating subject and universally useful. But, it can seem daunting at first. The secret is to keep your cool and get clear explanations of the concepts. Once this is down and mastered you'll see that you can do it too!
Portuguese
Portuguese shares common roots from the Latin. English, French, Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese all share many points of convergence - more than at first meets the eye. Years of in-depth experience has shown that learning a foreign language is more a matter of mastering the structure of the language (convergence and divergence) than anything else. Once the "mechanics" of the structure are mastered it's a simple matter to build vocabulary and add on words and phrases. The speed of learning can be astounding.
Prealgebra
Most students struggle with Algebra because they haven't gotten their minds around the notion of strange variables like "x".
This barrier can be broken down in minutes with a common sense explanation.
Algebraic math is a major stepping stone to multiple sciences and must be mastered to facilitate future academic progress in the sciences.
Precalculus
As algebra skills consolidate, we move toward calculus (differential and integration calculus) which employs extremely powerful math skills. Pre-calculus is the bed rock of algebraic math upon which calculus stands. Most schools only get into full-blown calculus at college levels - not high school.
Probability
Probability is the calculation of the likelihood of something happening, or not. If it is certain, then it gets a 1, meaning 100% certain. If it is impossible, then it gets a zero.
This branch of math has applications in a myriad of life and work situations, like insurance, financial decisions, business strategies, and even gambling - they all use probability calculations to make them viable.
Public Speaking
Many say they would rather die than speak in public - but it is easy with practice and knowledge. I first learned with Toastmasters Club. We would meet once a week and each of us would make a brief presentation on our week and the week to come. Practice makes perfect! There are many helpful techniques, like voice projection, for example which allow for good clear diction without forcing the vocal chords - scanning the audience as if in a conversation - doing mouth relaxation before to soften facial expression - speech rhythm and modulation - body language - how to prepare and then use notes. Finally emotional and mental posture play a major role in conveying the message adequately. I have stood on stage hundreds of times, and spoken before groups of tens and also tens of thousands with equal ease - in English and in Portuguese. It's easy when you know how!
Statistics
Statistics deals with gathering, organizing, analyzing, and interpreting events and measurement of data that have been recorded.
It shows how meaningful conclusions can be drawn quickly from large amounts of data that might appear confusing.
Statistics makes sense of large amounts of data with meaningful conclusions.
TOEFL
Teaching of English as a Foreign Language is a particular skill when it is applied to adults.
A mother tongue is a powerful part of our psyche and can be used to facilitate, or hinder, assimilating a new language.
Children, by nature, do not have this potential barrier.
A fast and successful learning curve can be obtained for adult students when constructive comparisons are made with the essential structure of the mother tongue and target language.
When essential structures, like grammar, syntax, prepositions, etc. all make sense, then learning becomes more fun and far more productive.
Trigonometry
Trigonometry is basically the mathematical measurement of shapes and the angles that form them.
Terms like tangents, sines, and cosines - are concepts that must be mastered in order to move forward.
As "trig" progresses, then the relationships between these terms, trig identities, and unit circle, become even more fundamental and important to an understanding of graphing and transformations.
A solid foundation of the basics is vital - with that - trig is really very easy.
Trig has myriad applications in science - it's important.