"My name is Matt M. I graduated from the University of Central Arkansas in 2009 with my Bachelor's of Science in Education with an emphasis in Social Studies. I passed all 3 Praxis exams and certification tests to be a certified teacher in Arkansas. I moved to Texas shortly after where I garnered a Highly Qualified distinction due to my coursework. I became certified in Composite Social Studies 8-12 & Generalist 4-8.
I have taught World Geography, AP Human Geography, World History, Government & US History in my 14 year education career. On state assessments my students passing scores have been between 86-93% with those including 1 year of World Geography taught to 9th graders & 2 years of US History taught to 11th graders. I have also been an AP Reader for Human Geography for 8 years.
In my career I have taught 1 on 1 (tutoring), in a classroom setting, & completely online for two years. The vast majority of my experience is in the classroom, but COVID allowed me opportunities to work synchronously & asynchronously with students at a variety of scales (1 on 1, small groups, full class).
My style of teaching tends to be very conversational with an emphasis on purposeful talk, small group (when possible) and critical writing. I try to build rapport with students first and then focus on problem solving & reflection strategies to accomplish students' goals. Last spring I spent 50 hours with students on Wyzant prepping for the AP Human Geography exam. All 5 students showed marked improvements in multiple choice scores, free response points earned, and overall confidence level on content & strategies." less...