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Karina R. for tutoring lessons in San Francisco CA Over 500 tutoring hours WyzAnt Tutoring Tutor Tutor United States

Karina R.

The Patient Explainer

San Francisco, CA (94116)

Travel Radius 20 miles
Hourly Fee $50.00
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  157 ratings

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My name is Karina and I have a BS in Physics and a BA in Math - Advanced Studies Orientation. I am currently a Physics PhD student at UC Santa Barbara. I am also a native Spanish speaker from Argentina.

I really enjoy tutoring because it gives me a chance to be creative. Each person is unique, and so is the way they understand things. That's why I try to understand the way my students think about the subject they are struggling with, so I can explain it in their terms. I am also very patient and don't mind going over something many many times. It just makes it more interesting, because it means I have to come up with a new way to explain it.

I have lots of experience tutoring. In math and physics, I have tutored mainly high school and college students. In Spanish, I have tutored people of all ages, from middle school to adults. I have also worked for test preparation companies teaching SSAT and SAT preparation and know lots of 'tricks' to improve scores.

Karina's Subjects

Math:
Science:
English:
Test Preparation:
Computer:
Language:
Elementary Education:
Business:
Sports/Recreation:
Corporate Training:
Homeschool:

Algebra 1

This is one of the subjects I have the most experience tutoring. It's one of my favorite subjects, too, so it's a good combination! I have tutored both high school algebra and college level algebra many times.

Algebra 2

Like algebra 1, this is one of my favorites, both to teach and as a subject in general. It's an important one, too, since it teaches all the necessary foundations to move on to precalculus, so I feel it's important to leave no detail out when learning it. I have extensive experience tutoring it, because it's one of the most requested subjects.

Calculus

I first took Calculus my last year of high school, and I remember it as being quite a paradigm shift from all the math I knew. I then went on to take many more calculus and calculus-based classes, so I became used to these concepts, but I always remember my first encounter with it when I tutor it, since this is more useful than my current knowledge to those who are just starting.

Vocabulary

Ironically, my status as a non-native speaker puts me at an advantage over some native speakers in this area. Knowing more than one language (and I know 4!) means I have more sources to draw from when I encounter a word I've never heard before. Also, I'm a bit of an amateur linguist, in that I really enjoy learning about etymologies and word formation. So all these things combined make me have a more extensive vocabulary than many native speakers. However, knowledge alone doesn't make a good tutor... Read More

Grammar

Most native speakers learn grammar instinctively, so they've never had to learn the rules in the way they are taught in a class. But I, as a speaker of another language, had no choice but to sit through grammar classes to be able to speak in English. Eventually, my knowledge was augmented by the same type of instinctive learning that makes native speakers such good speakers, but I already had a strong formal basis. That, combined with my experience teaching other languages, makes me a very good... Read More

Geometry

I have probably tutored more people in geometry than in any other subject. This is not surprising, because geometry is the first class where students encounter math of a different kind, involving proofs and abstract concepts rather than simply numbers and operations. This is a very difficult change for many people, but my experience has helped me find new and better ways to explain these new concepts.

German

I started learning German when I was in 10th grade, and continued having regular classes until my first year in college. After that, I got a scholarship to go study German in Germany, which really helped me improve. Once I got back, I continued taking conversation classes so as not to forget what I had learned, and I have always sought out any opportunity to speak to native speakers.

I have also taught someone from complete beginner through to a second year book. Teaching a language... Read More

Physics

I am now in a physics PhD program at the University of California, Santa Barbara, studying high energy particle physics. I have been taking physics classes since high school, working up the ladder to the level of knowledge I have today.

I have also done a lot of tutoring in physics, both with high school and college students. The two are actually quite different types of tutoring, since the classes focus on very different aspects of learning physics. I love both, since I love every... Read More

Prealgebra

This is a formative class: one that will create the foundations upon which to build the rest of the mathematical knowledge students will acquire. This is why when I teach it, I always make sure the students are learning to think about the topics in the right way. Many students tend to try to simply memorize some topics they find hard, or sometimes even to skip some topic they consider of minor importance. I always make sure every single topic is understood, because it will save many hours of tutoring... Read More

Precalculus

This is a very fun subject for me. I have loved it for as long as I have known it. It's also the class where higher level math starts to take shape, and where one first catches a glimpse of what mathematicians really do. But maybe precisely because of that, it can be a tough one for many people, so I have had to tutor students in this subject many times. I like to think they often catch some of my enthusiasm!

Spanish

I am a native speaker of Spanish and I lived in a Spanish speaking country until I was 20 years old. This means I went to school in Spanish, so I learned all the grammar that many native speakers missed if they grew up in the US.

I also have a lot of experience teaching Spanish. I have had several Spanish conversation groups that I coordinated, and which were always a lot of fun. I have also done more traditional tutoring, both for high school and college level classes. Finally, I have... Read More

Trigonometry

Trigonometry is such a fun class! I truly consider it an entertaining exercise, and enjoy it as much as doing a crossword puzzle. This means that, when teaching it, I am always very excited and happy about it. I find that this always helps, because there's nothing better than enthusiasm to create interest in a class.

I also have quite a lot of experience teaching it, since it is a class that many people struggle with, so I get many requests.

Astronomy

While I have never specialized in this subject, it is often considered a sister-science to physics, and much of the content of it is studied in various physics classes. This is where most of my knowledge comes from.

More importantly, I find this subject fascinating, so I have done a lot of independent reading on the matter. I think this is very important for tutoring, because I can transmit my fascination to students with amazing facts and wonderful bits of information. It's sure to... Read More

Statistics

My expertise in statistics includes a couple of college courses I had to take for my degree in Math, as well as the knowledge I have gained from having tutored some people in this subject. I actually think the latter is more useful for helping those who are struggling with statistics, because having experience tutoring the subject means I am aware of the topics that cause more trouble to most people. Also, my general math knowledge and tutoring experience come in very handy, because they help... Read More

SAT Math

I have double experience with this subject. On the one hand, I am very comfortable with the math content of it, since my occupation requires me to use math on a daily basis. On the other hand, I have worked for test preparation companies, where I received specific SAT training. This means I know many of the "tricks" involved in these types of tests, which is as useful, if not more, than knowing the material.

GRE

I had to take both the general GRE (language and math parts) and the specific physics GRE to get into graduate school. I was above the 85th percentile is both parts of the general one. My knowledge of and experience teaching math made the math part quite easy. My knowledge of many languages, and my experience teaching them, helped me in the verbal part.

Physical Science

Physics is my passion, and I'm always happy to share it with students. Those studying physical science for the very first time are an ideal audience for my enthusiasm for this beautiful subject. Being a PhD student, my knowledge is certainly enough, but I believe my ability to transmit my passion is much more important, because it motivates my students to learn.

TOEFL

Having had to study for the TOEFL myself is the best tool I can offer my own students. Not only am I knowledgeable in the test itself and its structure, but also I can relate to anyone studying for the test. From the nerve-racking experience of not understanding something because of the poor sound quality, to the anxious wait until the results are in, I've been through it all. And very successfully! Since then, living in the US has improved my English proficiency even more, making me an even better... Read More

Probability

Probability can be a tricky class for many people, because it's a branch of math that is rather unconnected from the other branches students usually learn about. Since there isn't too much to relate it to, it's hard to understand it. The trick is that probability, in its most basic form, is nothing more than counting. Realizing this helped me a lot when I first learned it, and I try to keep it in mind when teaching it to others.

Elementary Math

I have taught several elementary school children, mostly in math. I also have a lot of experience in math in general, since all my other experience and education is in this area.

Although most of my students in this age range have been 5th and 6th graders, I also have some experience with younger children, including first and second graders. Teaching these young children is a very exciting challenge for me, and very much fun, because I am part of the learning process more than with... Read More

Elementary Science

I love teaching science in general, mostly because I love science myself. I have been interested in science from a very early age, and I love to pass on this wonder to other people.

As far as experience, I believe most of my experience with elementary school-level science comes from running the Physics Circus at UCSB, a program where we take physics demos to elementary schools to get the kids excited about science. I am the coordinator of the program, which means I am in charge of,... Read More

Elementary (K-6th)

I have taught several elementary school children. Most of my tutoring has been in math, but I have helped some of them with reading as well. I naturally have more experience in math, since all my other experience and education is in this area, but I have been quite successful with reading as well. I use my knowledge of foreign languages, and my own experience learning new alphabets as an adult, to aid me in the teaching process.

Although most of my students in this age range have been... Read More

Study Skills

I have been a tutor for about 8 years, and almost without exception I have found that those students who have good study skills and keep neat, tidy notes do better than the rest. I also have a lot of experience as a student myself, since I have been in school all my life. This has helped me define and refine what good study skills are.

I always teach some study skills whenever I'm tutoring something, because I believe it is absolutely necessary to understand a subject in depth, especially... Read More

ESL/ESOL

I have taught English as a second language to many people, from various ages and knowledge levels. Most of my teaching occurred in Argentina, simply because there are more non-English speakers there. However, while in the US, I have continued to teach languages to peoples of all ages. While all languages are different, the thought process that goes into learning to speak a new language is actually very similar and the tools and tricks that I have learned while teaching one language have often... Read More

Differential Equations

I have taken both Ordinary Differential Equations and Partial Differential equations, both of which I passed with an A. If my knowledge ended there, I wouldn't consider myself a particularly useful tutor. However, I am a physics graduate student, which means that I use the methods of differential equations all the time in almost all my classes and studies. This has made me quite comfortable with and knowledgeable about these topics.

I also have lots of experience tutoring math in general,... Read More

Cooking

I love cooking and I'm a very good cook (so say my husband and my friends), but I had never considered this something that can be taught. I felt I was almost born with some intuitive knowledge of this. But then I had a roommate who didn't cook. She was very interested in it, but didn't know what to do. To me, this was strange and surprising, so I became her cooking teacher at least once a week. Soon, she was enjoying cooking her own meals, and little by little started being less shy about trying... Read More

Linear Algebra

I first took linear algebra in my freshman year in college. It was my favorite class that year, and I still continue to enjoy it immensely.

Since then, I have taken related math classes which expand upon my knowledge, such as abstract algebra and Fourier analysis, although most of my expertise comes from physics. Classes such as quantum mechanics or even classical mechanics make extensive use of the mathematical tools and concepts studied in linear algebra, and I have taken many of... Read More

PSAT

I used to work at a test-preparation company teaching SAT and related tests, where I received specialized training in teaching PSAT, SSAT and SAT, among other variations of these. I taught a couple of large classes, but didn't like the "one size fits all" approach. Since then, I have used what I learned with them and my own knowledge as a tutor to help individual students study for these standardized tests.

SSAT

I used to work at a test-preparation company teaching SAT and related tests, where I received specialized training in teaching PSAT, SSAT and SAT, among other variations of these. I taught a couple of large classes, but didn't like the "one size fits all" approach. Since then, I have used what I learned with them and my own knowledge as a tutor to help individual students study for these standardized tests.

Mathematica

Being a physics PhD student means using Mathematica on a daily basis. Little by little, I have learned to love this amazing piece of software that seems smarter than me, at times! The syntax is very intuitive once the basics are understood, and the documentation is so extensive and so well organized that it makes learning to use it a breeze. Every time I TA a class, I teach some of my students to use it, because I think it's something that everyone in a scientific field should know.

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Background Check Status for Karina R.

Passed

Karina R. passed a background check on 11/14/2012. You may run an updated background check on Karina once you send an email.

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