"My math experience extends to a PhD, as well as learning since then. As I learned, I was always teaching: tutoring fellow high schoolers, working in the undergrad tutorial center, and assistant-teaching in grad school. I taught two courses as I finished my doctorate. I then worked as an industrial mathematician and a free-lance scientist, publishing some of my own research. During that time, I tutored at a local community college, as well as doing some private tutoring. Over the next few years, I taught full-time at various local colleges and universities. After a layoff ended another five years as an R&D scientist in industry, I have again returned to education, teaching courses at three different postsecondary institutions, and doing private tutoring.

Math has been at times difficult to learn for me, and sometimes I did not understand a subject until I had looked at it from multiple points of view. While a visual approach is sometimes very helpful, algebraic manipulations can also be effective, as can seeing math as a game. You won’t know what works best until you’ve tried, so when teaching, I observe a student carefully to see what their preferred modes of understanding are, and choose an appropriate instruction style. Many math difficulties result because previous material, rather than the current material, is not well understood, so I probe carefully to identify those weaknesses and eliminate them. I do my best to work through the math from the student's point of view, entering into their thinking and using that as a starting point. Conceptual understanding---which is indispensable for math---usually requires multiple sessions, giving the student time to absorb and digest the material, and make the new outlook habitual. For that reason, best results occur when working together over at least a few weeks, so I tend to take a longer-term view when it comes to tutoring.

If you think you’d benefit from my background and approach, please contact me to see how I can help." less...