Tutor Spotlight: Chris Pratt
Meet Chris.
We caught up with one of our expert tutors recently to hear about his experience tutoring students. With over a decade of experience tutoring and a wide range of mathematics coursework under his belt, Chris prides himself in helping students bridge the gap between rote memorization and authentic mastery. He offers personalized support for his students, whether they’re preparing for the SAT or ACT, or strengthening their math skills.
What's one thing you love about tutoring?
What I love most about tutoring is learning how each student’s mind works – how they navigate problem solving, for instance – then working together with them to figure out how best to communicate material.
How do you keep students engaged During tutoring sessions?
I engage students by trying to relate the material they are learning to the real world to remind them that they are learning useful and impactful concepts. Also, I always try to ask questions to reinforce their understanding. This creates an environment that is conversational and collaborative, as opposed to lecture-based.
What's one study tip every student should know?
Take intentional breaks. If you’re having trouble getting your head around a problem or concept, take a few minutes to clear your mind. Go on a walk, drink a glass of water, or just go sit outside in the sun for ten minutes. You’ll come back to the question with a fresh mind – one that just might allow you to see the problem in a different light. I also find the Pomodoro Method of time management allows me to focus and allow information to settle in my head.
What was your favorite class in high school and why?
Calculus was my favorite high school class. It was the first time in a math class that everything I’d been learning throughout school came together in an interesting and beautiful way. It served as the first of many “ah ha” moments in my math education: I finally started seeing the big picture, like how many of the concepts I learned came together and are applied in the real world. Often math is taught in an abstract manner, with trite word problems serving as the only window into real-world applications. But with Calculus, we modeled tangible things, like population growth from rabbits to amoebas and how to design a rocket launch to ensure it will exit the atmosphere (as well as how long it will last flying in space!). It is the class that inspired me to study mathematics in college, and I still use the frameworks I encountered there to this day.
share an example of a student you were proud of for reaching their goals.
In college, I was a tutor for the math department at my university. I had a student that was struggling quite a bit in Statistics II, and they had all but given up; and to be fair they knew very little statistics! I told them “Fret not, you’re more than capable!” and that if they kept coming back I’d do my best to help them pass. Week by week, that student came back with a fresh batch of questions — how do you perform this test, or this analysis of variance? what does this random variable mean? — and each week they left with a little bit more knowledge. Over time, the questions they encountered grew harder, but they approached them not with fear but excitement. By the end of the semester, they were a Statistics master, easily passing their finals.
This student stuck in my memory because they came to me totally hopeless. They’d been “bad at math” their whole life, and were convinced that they could never succeed, no matter what. Succeeding can sometimes be as much about getting past the mental blocks that tell us we can’t as it can be about knowing this formula or that process.
What do you admire about your students?
The students I see all have the common goal of learning and improving, despite initial challenges. The desire to see things through despite a fear of failure (or not being good enough) is, I believe, what makes them resilient individuals with a bright future.