Daniel
Certified Tutor
Ever since I took my Senior Option class in Piscataway High School, a program where you work directly with a teacher behind the scenes and in the classroom, I knew that I could be one too. I am currently an undergraduate at Kean University to be a Mathematics Education teacher. I've tutored independently and at other companies for years before finding my home at Varsity Tutors.
My first and strongest experiences with tutoring has been with Algebra and Algebra 2, but through experience with students of all ages, I can also help with lower levels of Mathematics. Fractions and decimals are a problem of the past!
Outside of tutoring, I spend my time with friends at local restaurants and playing video games. My younger brother and I played plenty of Pokemon when we were children, and through that, we have learned that some problems may give you the disadvantage, but with the right style and type, your efforts can be super-effective too!
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Undergraduate Degree: Kean University - Current Undergrad, Education - Mathematics Secondary
- SAT Math: 790
Board Games, Video Games, Dungeons and Dragons
- Algebra
- Algebra 2
- College Algebra
- College Math
- Elementary Math
- Elementary School Math
- Intermediate Algebra
- Math
- Middle School Math
- Pre-Algebra
- Pre-Calculus
What is your teaching philosophy?
Everyone has the power to learn. The hard part is figuring out the best way to do it for you.
What might you do in a typical first session with a student?
In my first sessions of tutoring, I'd help find where the student's weaknesses lie, then work to strengthen those cracks in the foundation from the bottom, up.
How can you help a student become an independent learner?
With the strategies we come up with as a team, students will be able to approach the new problems they face in the future on their own.
How would you help a student stay motivated?
Constant positive reinforcement, and finding the most comfortable ways for the student to learn the mechanics behind each problem.
If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, what would you do?
Together, we would have an alternative way to solve the problems at hand.
How do you help students who are struggling with reading comprehension?
Context clues! My vocabulary is not very good either, but using the words around the one I don't know helps me so much.
What strategies have you found to be most successful when you start to work with a student?
I always ask the student what they want to work on first. If something they want to work on is on their mind, it will stay that way until they complete it.
How would you help a student get excited/engaged with a subject that they are struggling in?
Help the student picture themselves with the better marks. Together, we'll make that image into a reality.
What techniques would you use to be sure that a student understands the material?
I would ask the student a few questions relating to vocabulary of the subject first, but my favorite part is having the student teach me how to do the problem. Knowledge is really solidified once it is taught to someone else.
How do you build a student's confidence in a subject?
A combination of practice and reward is the easiest way to go. Seeing oneself excel in something they once thought to be difficult is a very satisfying feeling.
How do you adapt your tutoring to the student's needs?
If something isn't sinking in, or we are spending too much time on one question, rewording the process to find the answer is an easier way to go, but finding a whole new way to solve the problem that is easier for the student is always an option.
What types of materials do you typically use during a tutoring session?
I always need my favorite calculator. Using a machine, I am comfortable with is the least stressful and easiest way to focus on the problems at hand.
How do you evaluate a student's needs?
Asking them questions is the easiest way! Otherwise, I see what they are struggling with and take a few steps back to reteach what's harder.