Riley
Certified Tutor
I am a Chemical Engineering graduate from The University of Texas at Austin. Since graduation in December 2015, I have spent several months preparing for a successfully completing the Fundamentals of Engineering (Chemical) exam, which now allows me to hold my Engineer in Training (EIT) certification. I have also spent the months following graduation finishing my 4 year commitment as a volunteer YoungLife leader, which is a Christian mentorship organization geared towards high school students. I am thankful for these past few years around high school students in the many settings we've had because it has allowed me to connect and relate to them better. I am very passionate about making a difference in peoples lives, especially high school students because after high school is when bigger life decisions are made in which I hope to contribute a positive influence. I believe the subjects that I can best contribute to a student are a broad range of math and science, due to the nature of my degree and interest. I will be especially helpful in Algebra, Geometry, and Calculus subjects. In my free time, I like to be outside, go fishing, hiking, exercise, play Ultimate Frisbee, and take a seasonal snowboarding trip. But sometimes I just need that occasional lazy Saturday of books and movies.
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Undergraduate Degree: The University of Texas at Austin - Bachelors, Chemical Engineering
Fishing, snowboarding, exercising, camping, hiking, ultimate frisbee
- Algebra
- Algebra 2
- Calculus
- Calculus 2
- Chemical Engineering
- Chemistry
- College Chemistry
- Geometry
- Math
- Middle School Math
- Pre-Algebra
- Science
What is your teaching philosophy?
I believe true understanding of something is the ability to teach it. I hope to help students understand something well enough to teach it back to me.
What might you do in a typical first session with a student?
Describe myself to the student so they understand who I am better and ask about them so I can understand them. I think this would set the tone for our time to be discussion based, rather than me lecturing the whole time, which isn't effective learning.
How can you help a student become an independent learner?
Teach learning tools and study habits. Encourage them to make note of what study and practice skills help for them and what don't. This is a trial and error kind of thing, but after a while, you will know what works for the long run.
How would you help a student stay motivated?
Lack of motivation usually stems from not understanding the purpose of doing what you're doing. To help a student stay motivated, I would help them understand the importance of what we are learning and how it affects them.
What techniques would you use to be sure that a student understands the material?
If a student is able to walk me through a problem (or even teach it back to me), I believe that is a great sign they understand the material.