Garrett Evans
Online Math and Physics Tutor
About me
My Philosophy
Based on my experiences and observations, I am a strong believer in the power of 1-on-1 and small-group instruction over the large-scale lecture format. After graduate school, I decided to put my knowledge and experience in these settings to work as a tutor. Core aspects of my approach include: emphasizing understanding of concepts using diagrams and plain-English explanations, relating concepts to equations and leading students through problems with questions to boost their critical thinking. This keeps the mind engaged, increasing retention, and encourages the student's confidence and intuition for working his or her own way through problems.
My Story
I fell in love with math and physics during high school, when I was amazed by the ability these disciplines have to explain and make sense of ordinary as well as extraordinary experiences available to us in this world. Committed to finding out more, I embarked on a journey that took me through undergraduate and graduate studies of physics. When I finished my core coursework in graduate school, my attention turned to a somewhat different direction: the study of theoretical neuroscience, a field which applies the highly mathematical methods of physics to the problem of understanding neural networks in the brain. This focus took me into, among other things, studies of cognitive science, a discipline which builds models of how the mind processes information.
My Training
Throughout my time in the physics department at Penn State, I had the opportunity to apply my physics training along with my studies of cognitive science to the classroom, where under the guidance of a course instructor, I led students working alone and in small groups through laboratory and problem-solving sessions. Techniques I learned as a peer tutor at U.Texas and as a teaching assistant at Penn State serve as the basis for my craft.
Ph.D., Physics
Penn State University, 2015
B.S., Physics
University of Texas at Austin, 2002