Services
What I offer:
- one-on-one, personalized sessions based on your needs as a student
- identification of troublesome areas of focus
- reteaching of material and explanation of difficult topics
- talking through concepts to strengthen your foundation
- guidance through practice problems
- relevant handouts and reference materials
- supplementary practice materials and practice exams
- familiarity with the expectations of various professors in the Penn Chemistry Department
- study tips and tricks specific to organic chemistry
what happens during a tutor session?
The structure of my tutoring sessions depends on your needs and I recognize that these may evolve or change based on how your learning progresses or the timing of assessments in your class. Early on, I try to gauge where you are in the class and how we can spend our time together most effectively. Below are some of my strategies and tools that I use in sessions
|
The collaborative notebook
During sessions, I encourage my students to work with me in a “smart” notebook. We interact in this notebook taking turns pushing arrows and writing explanations, notes about thought process, etc. These notes are uploaded to a folder set up for the student when we begin working together.
|
Students often want to be retaught material directly from lecture. When I do this, I try to give explanations that are more accessible to students, including tips and tricks for remembering, and allow them to stop me for questions and clarification.
In learning organic chemistry, verbalization of course material is a very powerful strategy. When I have tutees explain a concept or their thinking process to me, they further cement their understanding. When forced to produce a verbal explanation, they must replace a false sense of understanding and arrive at a satisfactory explanation through reasoning. This typically results in an explanation of a broader pattern or an underlying principle, rather than simply the explanation for a specific example. Overall, this teaching tactic enhances cognitive reasoning (properly assessing a problem and systematically reasoning through it to find a solution), which is not only applicable in the academic sciences, but also of value in many areas of life.
In working as a TA at Penn, I created a series of handouts and worksheets specific to the textbook used by Penn Chemistry faculty. These worksheets as well as practice exams can be provided as needed. Keys will be provided as well.
Customized exercises to target problem areas
Since one-on-one sessions are fully customizable, I often come up with example problems on the spot. These exercises are intentionally designed to focus on areas that are specifically troublesome for the student. I am always willing to come up with extra problems or point you to sources that have
Customized exercises to target problem areas
Since one-on-one sessions are fully customizable, I often come up with example problems on the spot. These exercises are intentionally designed to focus on areas that are specifically troublesome for the student. I am always willing to come up with extra problems or point you to sources that have
How much does it cost? |
one-on-one tutoring sessions are scheduled by the hour.
Rate: $75 per hour Referral Policy $25 off one session for referral of another student |