Patiently teaching the process of problem solving

Owe P.

I believe everyone has to learn. It is only a question of what to learn (content), where and how (setting) and why (for what purpose).

My learning approach: Key to problem solving is to make sure you understand the problem. Problem solving is a process. How you approach a problem is key. The answer you seek is simply the final result of the process. Thinking this way applies to all your courses and problem assignments.

About myself: I have had formal careers in both academia (teaching and administrative - Professor and Department Chair) and industry (engineer doing research and development at ATT Bell Labs). I am very much interested in interacting with students in the learning process.

Tutoring background: I have informally and formally tutored over my entire career. My first formal such activity was to tutor a student in calculus, which was a requirement for him to retain his job. He passed his course with a grade of “A”. More recently I tutored students one-on-one in geometry. As a professor I always had very extensive daily office hours to make sure I would be readily available.

My educational background: My degrees are in engineering with a focus on math and physics (University of Wisconsin Madison – BS, University of Pennsylvania - MS and PhD). Hence, I can readily teach math, physics and engineering (electrical and mechanical).