Experienced Tutor for All Ages

Gabrielle W.

I received my finance degree from Colorado State University in 2021. I originally started in engineering but loved math so much that I wanted to make a career out of it! I now work in banking and still love doing math problems.

During my time at CSU, I tutored in the PACe program. this program covered college level Algebra, Trig, and Pre-calc. I did this for about 3 years and continued tutoring privately outside of PACe. Many of the students I tutored were adults, but I have privately tutored kids that were in middle and elementary school.

The PACe program offered a tutoring course teaching methods and different approaches for students depending on their learning styles. I found that the most effective approaches for my tutoring were visual aids. Many students in the math field learn better once they understand the process of how we got to the solution, not what the solution was. Example problems were extremely effective for practicing and learning the processes. Some students needed more practice than others, but I believe these students excelled even further than most. Practice is *essential*!

My other favorite method is asking the students leading questions. These usually are "what would you do next?" or "how do you think we should start this problem?". The goal is to guide them to the right direction without giving them the answers, letting their brains come up with ways to find the solution. This is more likely to stick with them and build problem solving skills for the future. I want them to be critical thinkers and problem solvers!

I find that on-on-one tutoring sessions are better for students who struggle in class. I found in many of my college courses that a large classroom was difficult to learn in, especially when I had so many questions. There were instances where I needed to be shown and guided, and it was not always available. The PACe program was a mix of one-on-one and group tutoring, so I have experience with both methods.