Private Lessons

I tutor short-term and long-term. Lessons can include individual students or small groups. Lessons can be as short as 30 minutes or last multiple hours. Most are 1 hour. I generally meet students once a week, but we can meet more or less often as needed. Contact me to discuss options.

For some examples of my students’ successes, see my background.

For public speaking, study skills, ESL, math, and chess, see below.

Public speaking

One reason I have students read their writing aloud in class is to prepare them for public speaking. This gets them used to reading texts clearly and at an appropriate pace.

When students have speeches, beyond helping them with the content, I coach them on enunciation, tone, pacing, eye contact, and memorization.

When they are giving a presentation, I explain the use of notes and slides. Often, students fill slides with too much text. I show them the optimal, efficient use of text and visuals. (However, sometimes teachers ask them to add a lot of text.) I have helped medical researchers cut down their slide text, too.

Study skills

Some study skills come up in conversations about other subjects. If students are writing a paper or studying for a test, I can give brief pointers about organization, time management, and effective learning techniques. I have also taught these skills as topics in themselves.

Many students are busy. They are studying multiple subjects, play sports and a musical instrument, participate in clubs, take classes outside of school, and may enter competitions throughout the year. Students need to learn how to break larger tasks, such as writing papers and preparing for tests, into smaller ones. I show them how to plan ahead and use their time economically.

Students need to learn how to read a textbook efficiently (outside to inside rather than beginning to end), take good notes, and review effectively. Sadly, schools rarely teach time-tested efficient memorization techniques. Therefore, beyond the occasional mnemonic, students use repetition, the least efficient method in most cases. Yet time-tested methods like memory palaces and phonetic systems are well within reach. Students can even find scads of existing mnemonics in many subjects just through a simple web search, yet they are not aware of this.

Neuroscience and psychology have contributed tremendously to our knowledge of optimal educational performance. Students can learn to take advantage of these lessons.

ESL

As I mention above, I have helped international research fellows write natural-sounding English in their manuscripts. I have also practiced conversation with students.

Math

I have worked with elementary, middle school, and high school students up through Algebra I. Much like grammar, math involves stacking advanced concepts on foundational ones. I show students how math works, why it works that way, and how it applies.

Chess

I teach the basics: the rules and fundamental strategy and tactics. Beginning students need to know general principles about the opening, middle game, and endgame. They need to develop their observation skills and anticipate possible moves by their opponents.