David
Certified Tutor
I graduated from Clark University where I earned my Bachelor's Degree in Philosophy and played Varsity Baseball. Upon graduation, I joined Teach For America and returned home teaching at a public charter school in Brooklyn, NY. After this, I took the LSAT and decided to help others to achieve the same success on the LSAT that I did. I teach all aspects of the LSAT and enjoy each and every section. As a philosophy major, I enjoyed using my brain in a logical manner and have found there to be fun in tutoring the LSAT. I believe that the LSAT can and should be a fun test to study for and strive to make sure that it is enjoyable for all of my students. I prefer to just serve as a guide so the lessons that students get stick with them more. I do this by asking questions and providing enough scaffolding to have my student create their own "Aha!" moment. When I'm not tutoring, I love everything New York sports and creating new dishes to enjoy with friends and family.
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Undergraduate Degree: Clark University - Bachelors, Philosophy
- LSAT: 177
I love playing and watching just about all sports, cooking and watching movies.
What is your teaching philosophy?
I believe that every student can and should reach their maximum potential. Confidence is key to realizing that potential.
What might you do in a typical first session with a student?
Before starting a first session with a student, I would look at their most recent PT or diagnostic and analyze what they need to work on from that. During the first session, I would attack their biggest weaknesses by teaching strategies and giving multiple chances for the student to practice these strategies.
How can you help a student become an independent learner?
Gradual release of knowledge is key. Learning is a process that starts with the teacher doing the heavy lifting and continues with the student doing more and more. The student will learn strategies to solve the problem rather than simply being told the answer.
How would you help a student stay motivated?
No matter how motivated or quickly a student is learning, there will be moments of frustration for every student. My job is to help the student stay confident and make the learning process fun in itself so as to avoid the frustration.
If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, what would you do?
Not everybody learns the same way. The key is to find the style or strategy that works for each student. I can differentiate in an effort to help reach every student.
How do you help students who are struggling with reading comprehension?
Many people believe that Reading Comprehension is hard (if not impossible) to improve upon, but this is not true. By mapping out each passage, students can learn better. Also, there are strategies to help them learn what information the LSAC tends to value.
What strategies have you found to be most successful when you start to work with a student?
I find asking questions is best when first starting with a student. It is necessary to discover what they already know and where their opportunities for growth are.
How would you help a student get excited/engaged with a subject that they are struggling in?
Every student is different, but I believe that one must build a positive association with the subject. I can make tutoring fun and will create that positive association with the subject.
What techniques would you use to be sure that a student understands the material?
I will do several checks for understanding during the lesson and evaluate the practice tests, timed sections, and independent work to see how the student is doing.
How do you build a student's confidence in a subject?
Every student has had some success. My approach is to go to where they are having that success and reteach good habits from there. Rather than start at a level of frustration, I will start from a place of success to show a student that they have plenty to be confident about.
How do you evaluate a student's needs?
Student's needs can be evaluated by looking at a diagnostic, watching them work independently, and asking them questions while working with them.
How do you adapt your tutoring to the student's needs?
My experience teaching students of all levels has given me ideas on how to reach all students. I have created alternate strategies and drills to help everyone.
What types of materials do you typically use during a tutoring session?
I have a simplistic approach to LSAT tutoring because there are such extreme limitations as to what someone may bring into the test. As for the content itself, I have a curriculum that covers every question that will be on the test.