Teaching Philosophy

I believe that effective education provides students with the tools to come to their own conclusions and master the learning process on their own. As much as possible, it allows students to define their own learning objectives as well.  In designing curriculum and in solving student learning problems, I look first to locate the student's needs and work outward from there.

My work as an educator has been strongly informed by the work of Howard Gardner and Ted Sizer.  One reason that my own studies and teaching have focused on theater is that theater education demands the applications of the lessons of both theorists in creative ways.  Fully understanding a theatrical text requires the selection and use of many of the Gardner-identified intelligences, while public performance of the work serves as a model for the kind of exhibition Sizer demands to make the work vital and engaging for students.  While research shows that not every group of students can benefit from a full immersion in Sizer’s “essential schools” curriculum, elements of that approach can benefit all students.  Mastering the learning process by using multiple intelligences and mastering specific material by making it "essential" provide students with both immediate results and the tools to make learning a life-long process.

My approach to working with teachers is very similar.  Like students, teachers need intelligent professional development, with a curriculum that allows them to apply multiple learning strategies in its mastery and that is clearly valuable to their daily work as educators. This professional development needs to reach them at times that they are able to take it in and in portion sizes that allow them to fully master it.  Just as the best approach to classroom discipline is the creation of vital, student-centered work both in and outside of the classroom, so too is the best approach to faculty morale and improvement the ability to support teachers in their own development as professionals.  This involves satisfying as much as possible their needs around technical requirements of schedule and curriculum, representing the faculty positively to the outside community, and providing useful, teacher-centered professional development around the long-term goals of the institution and its individuals.

Bio

Jeremy has been a teacher at all levels, from inner-city elementary students to hand-picked groups of the country’s strongest teachers, as well as a variety of schools in between.  In all cases, he has found effective learning to come from a combination of strong curriculum and appropriate teaching method.  As a tutor working with other teachers’ curriculum, he looks for opportunities to show how the material is interesting and worthwhile.  Jeremy values one-to-one tutoring as it provides greater leeway to work with each student according to her/his unique learning style.  Strongly influenced by the work of Ted Sizer with curriculum and Howard Gardner with pedagogy, he loves showing students how they can access their own inherent abilities to learn.

Subjects: English, Reading, Writing, Grammar, College Essay Writing, History, Study Skills, Test Prep (PSAT/PLAN/SAT/ACT/ACT Explore/MAT/ISEE) (6-Adult)

Jeremy is also the Site Director of University Tutoring in Seattle.

Resumé

Coming soon!