...Education Studies and English. While at Vanderbilt, I learned the best practices for developing literacy in secondary education students. At school, we examined the problems with deficit learning, a type of teaching all too common in schools today. Deficit learning focuses on what a student doesn't know, what (s)he isn't able to do. This kind of instruction can be overwhelming for some students. That's why I've dedicated myself as a tutor to reversing this trend,...
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...and political science. I am passionate about sharing my knowledge and experience with younger students. I have helped students of different ages and from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds, and so I am very conscious of the needs and prior knowledge my students and tailor my tutoring method and style individually. I tutor students in a wide range of subjects. In subjects related to reading and writing, I focus first on the students comprehension of the material...
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...liberal arts school an hour out of Columbus, Ohio, majoring in Philosophy. It is difficult to identify a specialty of mine because I have worked with students from 1st grade through high school on topics ranging from elementary science to trigonometry test prep, but my foremost strength is the three sections of the SAT. I have roughly three years of experience tutoring and last year taught a test prep class. My approach to tutoring is...
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The world is not going to end if you do not get a perfect score. A perfect score should simply be a goal to strive towards. I believe in making mistakes. The best way to learn is to correct and review mistakes. This ensures that fewer and fewer errors are made in subsequent performances. Practice and discipline will lead to perfection. Those who do not learn from their mistakes are destined to repeat them.... It's okay...
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...that comes with them. Recently, I was lucky enough to attend the University of Washington and earned two Bachelor's degrees in Physics and Astronomy with honors. Being the first person in my family to attend college as well as having family members in K-12, I feel that it is my responsibility to teach and motivate them to try hard in school so that they can follow their dreams and desires. This is a responsibility that...
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...worked one-on-one with students who needed a little extra attention in certain subject areas. I am comfortable teaching a number of subjects at a number of different levels, but my absolute favorite subjects are Physics, Chemistry, Math and Biomedical Engineering. The basic sciences are always the most interesting because they govern the behavior of the world around us and it still amazes me how a few simple equations can apply to so many situations, including...
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...again responsible for my own lesson plans, classwork, homework and quizzes. I am very interested in working with Varsity Tutors as I absolutely love working with children, especially in a teaching capacity. I enjoy the challenge of working through a topic with a student, thinking of all the possible ways to approach a problem or explain a concept, until finally I find one that clicks with them and their learning style, and then seeing the...
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I am a multi-level, multi-subject educator offering 8+ years experience in instruction; consistent performance record and excellent reviews; and innovative instructional methods to maximize student understanding and performance across various learning styles, abilities, and interests. It is my pleasure to educate through Varsity Tutors.... My philosophy in education is that all students are smart. It is my job as an educator to meet each student where they are and to guide them in the achievement of...
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...tutor, I think it's just as important for me to motivate, lead, inspire, and mentor my students. Do you have test anxiety? Math anxiety, specifically? Is it difficult for you to create, organize, and execute a study plan? Or do you simply want straightforward, content-based prep and study help? In either case, I'm excited to help you achieve your academic and standardized test goals. My academic credentials consist of a BA in Political Science and...
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...Bachelor of Arts in International Relations. During my undergraduate career, I tutored students for the LSAT, and I taught high school students in History, Political Science, and International Relations. While I tutor a broad range of subjects, I am most passionate about the LSAT, ACT, US History, European History, and Writing. I very much enjoy teaching LSAT test preparation. It is a challenging obstacle for many students. However, once you understand what the test is...
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...Literature from Columbia University in May 2014, and I plan on beginning medical school in the fall of 2015. Since graduation, I have been working part-time in a dermatologist office as a Medical Assistant and part-time on a public health project related to smoking cessation. I have also been tutoring students in a variety of subjects. I have been tutoring students since I was in 7th grade, and my favorite subject to tutor is math....
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...graduated from the University of Richmond majoring in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing Analytics and a minor in Mathematics. I have worked with kids of all ages, ranging from elementary school to college students through various subjects. I have also worked extensively with special needs children, doing everything from teaching special education to one-on-one in-home mentoring. Through my experiences, I have continued to carry my passion for working with children and have developed...
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...my Masters at Colorado State University (in Watershed Science), I have uncovered a love not only for academic topics I learned, but for teaching those topics to those around me. Most recently, I was a Teaching Assistant for a watershed course at Colorado State University, in which I enjoyed leading laboratory sessions and working through problem sets with undergraduate students. I have a long (6 year) history of tutoring students from Elementary to High School...
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...in Brighton, U.K., where I received an M.A. in Modern and Contemporary Literature, Culture, and Thought. I received my B.A. in English and History from Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts in 2011. Having grown up in Alabama, completed an undergraduate degree in Massachusetts, and a Master's in the U.K., I have tutored students from a broad range of backgrounds in an even broader range of subject areas. I have worked with students in subjects ranging...
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...am studying Statistics and Economics, with possible minors in information science and computer science. I have been working with students for several years now and have provided academic support to my peers throughout my time as a high school and now college student. Through my religious school, I taught students of all ages, ranging from Pre-K through 8th Grade. In high school, I helped prepare students for AP, SAT, ACT, and SAT subject tests as...
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...I particularly love tutoring writing, and creative writing is a hobby of mine. My philosophy is that even when we are preparing for a standardized exam, we should always be relating the work to your passions, pursuits, and educational goals to make the work that much more meaningful. In my spare time, you'll often find me learning bits of new languages for fun or writing. I am currently fluent in English and French, conversational in...
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...International Studies and a minor in Japanese. I studied abroad in Japan at Kobe University's Intercultural Studies department, and also studied broadly while in university, with coursework in mathematics, cultural studies, economics, and business. The subjects I tutor are Japanese and different levels of mathematicsfields that I particularly loveas well as standardized test preparation (SAT, SSAT, ISEE, and HSPT). I have found that studying becomes more enjoyable and effective when content is connected with examples...
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...academic tutoring is born out of my endless pursuit of knowledge, as well as my strong interpersonal communication skills. With proper guidance, every student possesses the ability to grasp even the most complex of topics, and I have built my tutoring career on this premise. As an experienced tutor, I have continually enjoyed seeing my students achieve lofty goals under my instruction. I specialize in tutoring biology, chemistry, physics, and economics for high school students....
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...University, where I earned a Bachelor's of Science in Computer Science with a minor in Mathematics. To contrast my coursework, I decided to tutor writing and explore my passion for language. My approach to tutoring focuses on exploring ideas and problem solving strategies until they become intuitive. I believe that intuition is the key to long term command of a subject. A difficult problem becomes far more digestible when viewed from a new angle. Once...
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...and games that encourage students to think outside the box instead of simply relying on memory. In addition, as an aspiring writer and coverage intern for various production companies, I have a lot of experience reading and editing written material. I believe that q & a sessions are outdated and a banal approach to actually getting through to a student. Instead, I believe it is the duty of a tutor to inspire his/her tutees with...
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Receive personally tailored ISEE- Upper Level lessons from exceptional tutors in a one-on-one setting. We help you connect with the best tutor for your particular needs while offering flexible scheduling to fit your busy life.
ISEE- Upper Level Tutoring FAQ
The Independent School Entrance Exam, or ISEE, is leveraged by independent and private schools for admissions and placement. It is offered for three different levels: Upper, Middle, and Lower. Each test includes questions in multiple-choice format, as well as an essay question. The amount of time given, the difficulty of the questions, and the number of questions is dependent upon the level taken. Varsity Tutors can help you find a skilled tutor who can help your child study for the ISEE Upper Level exam.
The Upper Level is for students who are entering grades 9-12. The test consists of five sections: Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, Reading Comprehension, Mathematics Achievement, and the essay. Your student will have 2 hours and 40 minutes to complete the entire exam.
The Verbal Reasoning section consists of sentence completion and synonym items. They assess your child's vocabulary knowledge, and his or her ability to reason. Children have 20 minutes to complete the 40 questions on this portion of the exam. Your child's ISEE Upper level tutor may work with your child to increase his or her vocabulary by utilizing flashcards with grade-level appropriate words, or they may use other techniques based on your child's current level of mastery.
The Quantitative Reasoning section of the exam uses multiple-choice questions to determine your child's ability to problem-solve and to think mathematically. It does not assess specific math skills. Your child will have 35 minutes to complete 37 items. The ability to think critically is a key factor in answering these questions correctly. Your child's tutor may work with your student on identifying what the question is asking, as well as time management techniques.
Both the Reading Comprehension and Mathematics Achievement portions of the exam are designed to measure your child's ability to answer grade-level questions in math and reading. Your child will be given 35 minutes to answer the 36 questions in the Reading Comprehension section, and 40 minutes to answer the 47 questions in the Mathematics Achievement section. These sections are skill-based, and your child's tutor will spend time determining which skills your student needs to focus on in order to pursue the highest score possible.
The final section of the exam is a single essay question, which is not graded by the ISEE. Instead, it is sent to the school or schools identified on the registration form. While it will not be part of the ISEE grade, it is an important factor in admissions for many schools and should be given the same care and attention as the other sections. Your child's tutor may work with him or her on creating a clear and concise outline to answer writing prompts in preparation for this portion of the exam.
It is important to note that the ISEE only looks for the number of correct answers and does not impose a penalty for those items that are answered incorrectly. Because of this, your child's tutor may also work on making educated guesses, as there is no benefit to leaving a question blank.
The Varsity Tutors live learning platform allows you to schedule your child's private ISEE Upper Level tutoring session at a time and location that is most convenient for your schedule. Private tutoring sessions can be scheduled in a virtual setting or in person. To connect with a tutor who is eager to work with your child, contact Varsity Tutors today.
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Recent ISEE- Upper Level Tutoring Session Notes
I first went over some practice tests the student did in the prep book. He did rather well on them. We then worked on an essay the student had started previously, so he finished writing it. After that, we worked on some more complicated square root problems, and finally finished with some synonyms practice.
We started to look the math section and began with geometry. We went through questions on squares, rectangles, parallelograms, rhombi, other quadrilaterals, kites, and hexagons. I had the student find the measure of angles, length of sides, area, perimeter, and diagonals. Some of the questions included other material such as finding the mean or a percentage. She needs to break the problems down into smaller parts and diagrams are very helpful. She is used to working with the metric system but the ISEE includes questions in both English and metric; she's going to need to learn how to convert between the two systems and within the English system. She also needs to make sure to read questions carefully so that she answers the question being asked. We will work together to make her proficient in all these areas.
We made some great progress with math. We're going through each concept covered on the test and reviewing things he forgot. We also did an overview of reading comp strategy and how to look at the questions given. Great work!
It was great meeting this student today! She's a very bright, very friendly student, and I appreciate the amount of hard work that she puts into our sessions. We began by reviewing the way that the ISEE is structured and basic math vocabulary. When it was clear that she could jump into more advanced topics, we immediately started working on percentages and word problems associated with algebra and percentages. She did a great job with translating those word problems into equations.
The student finished the lessons for all sections on the ISEE today. She feels confident about her progress thus far and is using the notes we took as a guide.
