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Tutoring For Mastery And Understanding
Michael G.

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About Michael

Bio

I love to help students understand a subject and its concepts -- mathematics, physics, chemistry, philosophy, logic, critical thinking -- and to help them understand how to understand. With my help, they go beyond rote memorization and procedural knowledge. They grasp, on their own, the logic and meaning of an idea from the ground up, grasp how a subject and its concepts connect to other things, and learn skills of thought that apply far beyond one subject or one concept. I can do mere...

I love to help students understand a subject and its concepts -- mathematics, physics, chemistry, philosophy, logic, critical thinking -- and to help them understand how to understand. With my help, they go beyond rote memorization and procedural knowledge. They grasp, on their own, the logic and meaning of an idea from the ground up, grasp how a subject and its concepts connect to other things, and learn skills of thought that apply far beyond one subject or one concept. I can do mere "homework help," but my preference is to help students go deeper and broader. For those interested, I love to share resources about efficient, effective thinking and I love to share resources about how a subject or concept relates to an interest of a student. I aim to be efficient and effective with your time, so it is time well spent, and I tailor things to the individual student.

My credentials include a BS in Mathematics and BA in Philosophy from the University of Texas at Austin, and a Texas Teacher Certificate in Secondary Mathematics from the University of Houston. I spent two undergraduate years at the University of Pittsburgh, where I was on the prestigious Dean's List a number of times, and where I earned enough hours to have a minor in Physics. Since college, decades ago, I have been a private tutor for students in public schools, private schools, and home schools -- some of the private schools being in the top 200 and top 40 in the US --- and have taught in public and private schools across the country, producing a long list of successful students. In addition to studying physics and philosophy in college, I have spent the decades since then delving into the history and philosophy of physics and the history and philosophy of mathematics.

In my teaching career, I have taught Algebra I & II, Geometry, Precalculus, Calculus (including the APs), AP Statistics, Physics (first year), Chemistry (first year), SAT Prep, ACT Prep, Grammar, Logic, Thinking skills, and Physical Fitness.

I'd love to help!

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Education

University of Texas at Austin
Math, Philosophy
  • Licensed teacher

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Approved Subjects

ACT English

ACT English

I have tutored ACT English for years, helping students achieve success. I work to help students gain content mastery and understanding, so they can face what comes on the exam. We can work on grammar itself -- important to know for college and career beyond the ACT itself -- and can work on test strategies. I have a degree in philosophy, and so have done lots of reading and writing in college, and since. On the GRE, decades ago, I made a 730 on the English section -- but that score put me in the top 3% of all test takers. Since then, I have studied grammar on my own, reading through some books on sentence diagramming and doing the exercises, and I have taught grammar through sentence diagramming in some online short courses. I'd love to help you learn more about reading, writing, and grammar, and help you do better on the ACT.
ACT Math

ACT Math

I have tutored ACT Math for years, have a degree in mathematics, and have tutored all levels of mathematics, algebra through calculus/statistics, for decades. I help students with test content, calculator use (TI-84), test strategies, timing, and more, and help them achieve success. For example, one parent said: "I wanted to let you know that Emily got a 33 on her most recent ACT. She was beyond happy. Her college list just expanded. She is being recruited by some schools, so she has a number of options, which makes this fun but challenging. She had a 29, so she’s gone to a 30 and then a 33. On her recent ACT, she was up 2 points in English and Science, 1 point in Reading, and 5 points in Mathematics: from a 30 to a 35. We appreciate all of your help." –John M (father of high school student)
ACT Science

ACT Science

I have tutored ACT Science for years, and like to help students understand the concepts and master the questions. We'll work on strategies like finding patterns to make some questions easy (lots of the test is actually math: the math of tables, charts, graphs, etc.), we'll work on some reading strategies for some "conflicting viewpoints" passages, and we'll work on some analysis strategies for questions about experiments. I come at the ACT Science with a variety of tools: a degree in mathematics, a degree in philosophy (reading and writing), a minor in physics, experience tutoring math and science, and years spent studying the history of physics. But I want to help you make the science section easy, so you can score high.
Algebra 2

Algebra 2

I have a degree in mathematics, and have tutored algebra 2 for decades, helping students get confidence, subject mastery, and understanding -- and, yes, good grades. I like to help people understand where it comes from and why it works, so they are better prepared for higher levels of mathematics. It is an interesting subject, one that finally gets to a higher level of math in secondary education, so it has all sorts of applications -- profit and loss, the physics of free fall, the physics of "projectile motion," the orbits of planets, pH, decibels, radioactive decay, chemical equilibrium, chemical reaction rates, etc. If you'd like to gain some subject understanding, please get in touch!
Calculus

Calculus

I have a degree in mathematics, with a focus on analysis (calculus-like stuff), and have been tutoring calculus for a few decades. I have taught AP Calculus AB at a private school, have taught year-long calculus courses online, and have tutored Calculus 1, Calculus 2, Calculus 3, and Ordinary Differential Equations, as well as the calculus-heavy Mathematical Statistics. Calculus is a favorite subject of mine for its depth, breadth, application, unification of many mathematical concepts, and for its interesting issues in the philosophy of mathematics.
Geometry

Geometry

I have decades of experience tutoring geometry, and helping students master it, understand it, and get value out of it. I love to help students especially with the process of proof. Through the decades, I have had students tell me, later in their lives, that geometry and proof helped them learn to think better, to appreciate reasoning, and to solve problems at work. Geometry is a subject I love, think about, and study on my own for its intellectual and practical value. I have delved into it, its methods, its philosophy, and its history. Abraham Lincoln studied it for 3-7 years, when he was in his 40s, to make himself a better reasoner, so he could thereby better debate, write speeches, and practice law. Formal geometry helped Aristotle discover and develop logic, and helped Newton and Galileo develop modern physics. (It may be no surprise that I have both a degree in mathematics and a degree in philosophy.) I'd love to help you master the subject and get out of it thinking skills you can use in other areas of thought and life.
Grammar

Grammar

On the GRE, decades ago, I made a 730 on the English section, a score that put me in the top 3% of all test takers. Since then, I have studied grammar on my own, reading through and practicing some texts on sentence diagramming, and I have taught grammar through sentence diagramming in some online short courses, using my own material. I have a degree in philosophy, and so have done lots of reading and writing in college, and since. I love to help students get grammar down so they can better organize their writing and organize their thinking -- after all, grammar, being how we put concepts together, is an aspect of logic, in my opinion.
Logic

Logic

In college, I earned a degree in Philosophy, which of course involved lots of logical analysis of arguments. As part of my degree, I took Introductory Symbolic Logic, earning an A. My main interest in philosophy has always been logic and epistemology: how we know what we know. Since college, I have studied all of the logic text The Art of Reasoning by David Kelley, parts of Logic: An Introduction by Lionel Ruby, and parts of An Introduction to Logic by H. W. B. Joseph, and have also listened to, studied, and internalized numerous lectures, articles, and texts on logic and epistemology -- for example, Theories of Knowledge: How To Think About What You Know by Joseph H. Schieber, and numerous articles on the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy and the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy -- focusing on concept-formation, classification, definition, and induction. To learn more deeply about induction and the formation of scientific theories, I have spent years "in the trenches" studying the history and philosophy of physics, doing also a little study of the history and philosophy of chemistry and biology. My background also includes teaching logic and critical thinking. I have taught some short courses in logic using the Kelley text, but going beyond it, and, for decades, have taught skills of logic and critical thinking in the course of academic tutoring and classroom teaching. My interests and focus are not symbolic logic, formal logic, or machine learning (although I could help with some basic symbolic). Where I like to help people is in argument analysis, deduction, the fallacies, induction, definition, classification, concept-formation, and reasoning. If you'd like to learn some "classical logic," critical thinking, and good skills of reasoning, please get in touch! I'd love to help!
Philosophy

Philosophy

I have a degree in philosophy, but have studied the subject ever since, continually increasing my depth and breadth of understanding. My especial interests in philosophy are logic, epistemology, the philosophy of mathematics, and the philosophy of science. I love to help people delve into the subject and develop a love for it. Not only do I tutor logic, critical thinking, and philosophic wisdom, I also bring those concepts and methods into my academic tutoring, to help students think more effectively and deeply. Philosophy is eminently the most important subject there is, in my opinion. My coursework included History of Ancient Philosophy, History of Medieval/Renaissance Philosophy, Political Philosophy, Metaphysics, John Stuart Mill, Aristotle, Scientific Method, and Philosophy of Mathematics. Since then, I have continued reading philosophic articles, excerpts, and texts, and have listening to audio lectures of philosophic topics, including The Story of Philosophy by Will Durant, The History of Philosophy by A.C. Grayling, A History of Western Philosophy by Bertrand Russell, A History of Western Philosophy and Theology by John M. Frame, The Great Ideas of Philosophy by Daniel N. Robinson, The History of Physics by J. L. Heilbron, Isaac Newton's New Physics by Dr. Gordon Brittan, John Dewey by John J. Stuhr, How We Think by John Dewey, Rhetoric and Politics by Aristotle, articles on the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy and the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, and lots, lots more. You get the idea. I'd love to help anyone who wants to delve into the subject, especially to learn logic, critical thinking, wisdom, and life lessons.
Physics

Physics

I tutor "first-year" college physics and high school physics. I have successfully tutored physics, taught a year-long physics course, and taught some "short courses" in special topics. My focus is on helping students gain an understanding of physics and science, not on merely memorizing or on gaining a superficial acquaintance. I have a minor in physics, getting As in my college physics courses and loving the "Introduction to Experimental Physics" course I took. In the past decade, I have delved Into the history and philosophy of physics, studying physics from ancient times through the early modern (Galileo, Newton, Maxwell, etc.), but not quantum mechanics or subjects like advanced orbital mechanics. I am helped by my degree in mathematics and my degree in philosophy (my focuses being logic, epistemology, and the nature of science). I have used this study to teach physics to select students using my own curriculum. As Einstein said: "I fully agree with you about the significance and educational value of methodology as well as history and philosophy of science. So many people today — and even professional scientists — seem to me like someone who has seen thousands of trees but has never seen a forest. A knowledge of the historic and philosophical background gives that kind of independence from prejudices of his generation from which most scientists are suffering. This independence created by philosophical insight is — in my opinion — the mark of distinction between a mere artisan or specialist and a real seeker after truth." --Albert Einstein (Letter to Robert A. Thorton, Physics Professor at University of Puerto Rico (7 December 1944) [EA-674, Einstein Archive, Hebrew University, Jerusalem]. If you want an understanding of physics, please get in touch!
Precalculus

Precalculus

I have a degree in mathematics, and have tutored and taught precalculus for decades to students at public schools and private schools, some of which were elite schools, helping students get confidence, subject mastery, and understanding -- and, yes, good grades. It is an interesting subject, one that finally gets to a higher level of math in secondary education, so it has all sorts of applications -- pH, finance, animal population dynamics, sound waves, electromagnetic waves, chemical reactions, infinite polynomial series, etc. -- and has interesting roots in algebra and geometry. I like to help people understand where it comes from and why it works, so they know, e.g., what the rules of logarithms actually mean and how we can derive them; where the values of the unit circle come from and how we can make the unit circle easier to remember; how the parameters that we use to graph parabolas can be used to more easily graph trig functions; etc. If you'd like to gain some subject understanding, please get in touch!
SAT Math

SAT Math

I have tutored SAT Math for years and years, I have a degree in mathematics, and I have tutored all levels of math, algebra through calculus and statistics, for decades. I can help with test content and test strategies, and with using the TI-84 and Desmos to make some questions easy. I can help you achieve success with tutoring, with targeted practice on specific concepts, and, your time permitting, practice work you could do on your own, outside of tutoring. I am glad to share whatever resources will help you succeed.
SAT Writing

SAT Writing

I have tutored SAT Writing for years, helping students achieve success. I work to help students gain content mastery and understanding, so they can face what comes on the exam. We can work on grammar itself -- important to know for college and career beyond the SAT itself -- and can work on test strategies and test content. I have a degree in philosophy, and so have done lots of reading and writing in college, and since. On the GRE English section, decades ago, I scored in the top 3% of all test takers. Since then, I have studied grammar on my own, reading through some books on sentence diagramming and doing the exercises, and I have taught grammar through sentence diagramming in some online short courses. I'd love to help you learn more about writing and grammar, and help you do better on the SAT.
Statistics

Statistics

I have years of experience helping students in AP Stats and other stat courses, like the college-level Mathematical Statistics. I like to help students master and understand the math and the nuances of statistics, and to see how it is useful in life. My background includes a degree in mathematics and Texas Teacher Credentials in Secondary Mathematics. My college work included Mathematical Statistics, in which I earned an A. That was a fun, fascinating class. My focus in tutoring is on the "introductory" stat courses like AP Stats or Mathematical Statistics, not on advanced stats. If you'd like some help with the science and art of statistics, let me know!
Trigonometry

Trigonometry

I have a degree in mathematics, and have tutored all levels of mathematics for decades, giving me more understanding of the context of trigonometry -- where it comes from, what it is, and where it leads to. I have taught trigonometry for years as part of geometry, precalculus, and calculus, and love to help people understand the concepts. Trigonometry has a rich history, which I love to bring in to the subject to bring it to life and help it make sense. It is one of those parts of mathematics that is weaved into many parts of human thought and human endeavor. For use in astronomy, it developed out of the geometry of triangles (e.g., angle-side relationships and similar triangles) and limitations of technology, but has since been built into tools for physics, astronomy, music, engineering, medicine, etc. If you'd like to gain mastery and understanding of trig, please get in touch. I'd love to help.
ACT Reading
Algebra 1
Chemistry
PSAT
Reading
SAT Reading
Writing
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Hourly Rate: $100
Contact Michael