Math-Physics Undergrad Specializing in Math/Sci Tutoring

Charles G.

My goal is not just to get you through tonight's homework, but to help you understand the material and your learning process well enough that over time you need less help.

I graduated in the top 10% of my class with a 1500 SAT (780 Math), and as a Mathematics-Physics major at UConn finished this spring with a 3.9 GPA in math and physics coursework. Still, I know how it feels to be intimidated by complicated-looking math.

For several years, I have tutored quantitative subjects in volunteer and paid settings, one-on-one, in person and online, with high school and college students: a year of Algebra tutoring with a special education high schooler, SAT prep, and calculus prep for college peers. My students have ranged from those weary of math and skeptical of studying to high performers pushing their SAT scores into the top 1%.

Simple tools (like dimensional analysis or asking "when this increases, what happens to that?") help students understand the language of math. I model how to pick or invent problems that target a confusion, then vary them so students see what changes, what stays the same, and why.

I ask guiding questions to find the root of a confusion and have students talk through it before I jump in; more effort upfront, but it saves time and builds confidence. When students avoid questions they worry won't be tested, I show how exploring them still builds test-relevant understanding and tie material to their interests.

Tutoring aimed only at the current subject mostly solves today's problems; once the tutor is gone, little may last beyond those topics. Learning is a procedural skill, and overreliance on a tutor is like an expert grabbing your video game controller during the hard parts, then passing it back.

Using the subject at hand as practice, we focus on one learning skill at a time. I nudge students toward the most consequential, science-backed improvements, then toward independent reflection and experimentation.