All of
Ana’s current tutoring subjects are listed at the left. You
can read more about
Ana’s qualifications in specific subjects below.
ACT Math
I used to work for a company in Houston which specialized in ACT and SAT tutoring. We were taught special tricks and methods to improve students' ACT and SAT scores. I focus on both explaining the methods to train for this particular test as well as to teach the mathematics behind the problems to explain the fundamental concepts necessary to not only achieve a good grade on the test, but also succeed in future math courses.
Description of course: The ACT math consists of basic geometry, algebra, arithmetic and trigonometry. This test differs from the SAT in that you are not penalized for guessing and there are 60 problems to do in 60 minutes, but they are generally more straight forward and slightly easier.
ACT Science
I used to work for a company in Houston which specialized in ACT and SAT tutoring. We were taught special tricks and methods to improve students' ACT and SAT scores. I focus on both explaining the methods to train for this particular test as well as to teach the mathematics behind the problems to explain the fundamental concepts necessary to not only achieve a good grade on the test, but also succeed in future math courses.
Description: This test covers material from biology, chemistry and physics, but mainly the test focuses on data analysis. There will be 7 passages of which 6 will contain data given on a variety of charts and graphs. At the end of each passage there will be a series of 5-7 questions most of which can be answered by analyzing the graphs and charts. There is always one analytical question which is a bit more challenging at the end of each passage.
Algebra 1
When it comes to math, some students prefer learning by pictures and graphs and others like a more "algebraic" approach. I tend to explain concepts in multiple ways and let the student guide me by seeing what they understand better. I adapt my teaching methods to my students to customize a plan that will work for them. Every person learns differently. There are several methods I generally apply that have proved successful with most or even all of my students. I explain in a way that clicks for them. Description: Algebra 1 consists mainly of understanding the concept of a variable and learning to solve linear equations with a variety of methods.
Algebra 2
When it comes to math, some students prefer learning by pictures and graphs and others like a more "algebraic" approach. I tend to explain concepts in multiple ways and let the student guide me by seeing what they understand better. I adapt my teaching methods to my students to customize a plan that will work for them. Every person learns differently. There are several methods I generally apply that have proved successful with most or even all of my students. I explain in a way that clicks for them. Description: The main goal is to understand the concept of a function and to be able to work with a variety of different types of functions. You will learn to graph, solve and identify key elements of different types of functions. In certain cases, you will learn some formulas that will help you solve or graph these functions.
Calculus
Calculus is my favorite course to teach! I have been teaching calculus for about 6 years and have a LOT of success stories! I focus a lot on theory as this is the most important aspect of calculus and it's the most fundamental tool to solve any of the problems. I also do a lot of practice problems and make problems up that tend to show the various way in which a concept can be applied. I try to tie it as much as possible to something of interest for each particular student and do my absolute best to keep things from getting boring. I think that these tutoring sessions go by the fastest and students tend to (rather reluctantly) enjoy themselves. As much as they'll hate to admit it, they have fun!
The goal of the course is to teach a variety of concepts which further analyze a certain family of functions. Some of these concepts are limits, derivatives and integrals. In the second part of the course, you learn about sequences and series and the concept of convergence and divergence of each. You also learn more integration techniques and become acquainted with the concept of double integrals.
Discrete Math
I took an honors discrete math at the University of Texas at Austin and I got a very high A in it. I later graded for this same class and I also graded for a different discrete class. I also took and graded a Number Theory class (which is very similar) and I have taken many abstract Algebra courses that are also very similar.
Discrete math is basically an introduction to proofs and basic logic all of which is extremely abundant throughout the major in mathematics.
Geometry
This course mainly focuses on Euclidean Geometry which is a very nice and visual course. A lot of students struggle with this course because it is the first time where they are asked to write proofs of theorems. At first, this is a daunting and intimidating task for most, but with time and guidance it gets a lot easier. I have had several students recently that have needed help with geometry so I feel very comfortable with this subject and am very capable of explaining the concepts, proofs and ideas in many different ways. This course can be deceivingly fun and interesting, so hopefully I can help make it less scary and more positive.
GRE
I used to work for a company in Houston which specialized in standardized test tutoring. We were taught special tricks and methods to improve students' scores, mainly in the SAT and ACT, but the GRE is not very different. I focus on both explaining the methods to train for this particular test as well as to teach the mathematics behind the problems to explain the fundamental concepts necessary to not only achieve a good grade on the test, but also succeed in future math courses.
Description of course: The GRE math consists of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and data analysis. The computer based test is the most common one and can be taken throughout the year. It is timed, and you cannot go back on questions once you have submitted them. It is an exam that you must prepare for in order to succeed, but it is not conceptually terribly difficult. The key is practice, practice, practice!
Linear Algebra
Linear Algebra was one of the first proof based courses I ever took, and was one of the reasons I fell in love with math. At first it is an in depth review of what you learn about Matrices in high school, so you'll learn matrix multiplication, row reduction techniques, determinants, and some properties of matrices, for example matrices don't necessarily commute under multiplication. Later you will learn about vector spaces, linear transformations, eigen values and eigen vectors, changing bases and maybe touch on some complex numbers. It's an in depth course where you focus a lot on why mathematical theorems are true and spend some time learning formal proofs. It's a very important class to understand well if you're a math major and it can be a bit challenging, but also it's very interesting and can be a lot of fun!
I am a math major and I have a Master's degree in Mathematics.
Precalculus
Pre-calculus and trig are generally very challenging courses for students. Unfortunately, a lot of times you can actually get pretty good grades in these courses without understanding too much of the material and relying heavily on memorization. This leads to the major issues we see in calculus every year, because a good pre-calculus foundation is crucial to succeed in calculus. I specialize in explaining concepts and teaching students where the information comes from, allowing them to derive it all themselves if they forget what to do during an exam when they're nervous, or simply after several months of not using it. I also do encourage some degree of memorization, but I am a firm believer in minimizing the usage of that part of your brain as much as possible since it is notoriously the least reliable, and the most overused.