Matthew
Certified Tutor
My degrees include a B.A. from Xavier University in Cincinnati, where I studied International Affairs with a minor in Spanish. I spent four years in graduate studies at Loyola University studying Philosophy and Counseling. For the past 10 years, most of my vacations and summer breaks entailed mission trips to Latin America, working and teaching in schools. I cannot fail to mention a two year stint in Guatemala while in the Peace Corps, doing business development work and playing semi-professional soccer. I have recently graduated with my MA in Counseling and began working at a nonprofit called Thresholds located in Chicago. I currently work with a caseload of 25 people that have severe mental health problems and rely on Government assistance to survive. I have taught ESL to recently immigrated peoples, and have experience tutoring high school students in marginalized neighborhoods. I am passionate about assisting others to achieve their potential. No matter the unique circumstances of each individual, we can come to discover interior strengths, which allows these individuals to overcome many challenges. My personal teaching philosophy is that each student possesses the power and ability to achieve their learning goals. It is my job to ensure that we uncover the best method to unlock the potential for each lesson, through patience, fun, and interactive learning.
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Undergraduate Degree: Xavier University - Bachelors, International Affairs and minor in Spanish
Graduate Degree: Loyola University-Chicago - Masters, Pastoral Counseling
sports, outdoors, travel
What is your teaching philosophy?
My personal teaching philosophy is that each student possesses the power and ability to achieve their learning goals. It is my job to ensure that we uncover the best method to unlock the potential for each lesson, through patience, fun, and interactive learning.
What might you do in a typical first session with a student?
Take some time to learn their goals and what they are passionate about.
How can you help a student become an independent learner?
Break down complex problems into more manageable steps.
How would you help a student stay motivated?
Infuse each lesson with a variety of teaching techniques and lots of encouragement!
If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, what would you do?
Change the lens; find a fresh perspective.
How do you help students who are struggling with reading comprehension?
Find a balanced material that poses a challenge, yet is enjoyable to the student.
What strategies have you found to be most successful when you start to work with a student?
Get to know them, learn what their goals are, and build trust so they know it's a team effort to succeed.
How would you help a student get excited/engaged with a subject that they are struggling in?
I find it is helpful to apply the subject to areas relevant to that student's world view and current life situation.
What techniques would you use to be sure that a student understands the material?
A varied assortment of exercises that go beyond testing for rote memorization and assess an in depth level of understanding.
How do you build a student's confidence in a subject?
Keep all small successes in the memory bank while building up to larger successes. Celebrate each success!
How do you evaluate a student's needs?
Start with the desired outcome and work backwards to see what needs to happen to get there.
How do you adapt your tutoring to the student's needs?
Honest communication and observation of each lesson. If something is not working, then we brainstorm together for a solution that appeals to the student and moves us closer to the learning objective.
What types of materials do you typically use during a tutoring session?
It always depends on a student's preferred learning style. Anything from online worksheets to engaging conversation.