My Journey to Help Students Build Confidence in Chemistry

Througout my teaching career I have noticed a recurring pattern among some of my students. Despite their best efforts, they often struggled to truly grasp the concepts of chemistry.

 

They would do all the right things: listen, take notes, and ask questions. However, there was a missing link between understanding the material and doing well on exams.

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I decided to implement a small change to my teaching method. At the end of each class, I started assigning problems for my students to solve independently.  These problems were due at the end of the class period.

 

This single change turned out to be the key to truly helping students understand the material.

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This seems like a small change, but minor changes can make a difference. 

 

Many times, students think they understand the material during class but were unsuccessful when they tried to solve a problem later at home.  In chemistry, you don’t truly understand the material until you solve the problems on your own.

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This change helped a student who was getting overwhelmed while studying for a test. She didn't think she could solve a specific problem until she remembered that she had done a similar problem at the end of class.

 

She flipped through her notes and realized she had previously solved this problem on her own without any help.

 

This gave her the boost of confidence because she knew she was capable of doing the problem because she had done it before.

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Over the years I’ve seen many students go from hesitant to confident learners in the classroom. 

 

I’d like to do the same thing for you in online tutoring.  I can quickly determine your strengths and weaknesses. I will help guide you over obstacles to help you gain a deep understanding of the material.