Alyssandra
WHAT MAKES HER AN AWESOME TUTOR
I’m always looking for ways to inspire learning beyond the classroom and help students fall in love with understanding the world around them. I love finding demos, analogies, and interesting ways to explain things and see things from different perspectives until they click!
I always encourage curiosity and believe that there are truly no bad questions, and I try to teach students that making mistakes and asking questions are important parts of the learning process! I also like developing toolkits and resources that you can rely on if you get stuck because they give you the confidence that you can solve any question once you understand the fundamentals and have an action plan!
FUN FACTS
Life goal: To become a doctor and a clinician educator! I love science, research, patient care, and teaching, and I can’t imagine letting any of these go! I also have a number of side quests including becoming fluent in multiple languages, travelling the world, completing triathlons, and being a positive source of change in different communities.
Words to Live By:
These two quotes sum up my values nicely:
"The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existence." -Albert Einstein
"Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less." -Marie Curie
Favorite Mathematical Weapon: Visualization! I am a very visual learner, so I love mapping problems out and labelling diagrams to truly understand the question and see what’s happening. Whether it’s a free-body diagram in physics or drawing a graph or visual for a complicated word problem, putting the information on paper can serve as a roadmap to answering the question. Drawing it out can also clue you into ensuring that your answer is reasonable and that all of the units are correct.
GET TO KNOW ALYSSANDRA
Education: Honours Bachelor of Science in Biology and Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour at McMaster University
Fave Tech device: My iPad! I use it for notetaking, studying, teaching, and planning. I also use it for digital artwork, where I create anatomy illustrations.
Fave Book: My childhood favourite series was Percy Jackson, and I still love Greek mythology! More recently, I really enjoyed The Brain That Changes Itself by Norman Doidge on the power of neuroplasticity in healing and The Joy of Movement by Kelly McGonigal on the connection between physical and mental health. I started working on kinesiology research on similar topics after reading these books!
Fave Song: All Too Well (10 Minute Version) by Taylor Swift
Fave Outfit: Usually a comfy hoodie and leggings or sweatpants. I like to find ways to incorporate at least one pink item into my outfits :)
Fave TV Show: Modern family, The Pitt, The Good Place
Fave Movie: The entire Harry Potter series and Studio Ghibli movies. Spirited Away has a special nostalgic place in my heart
When you're not crunching numbers: I love music, and I’m currently on a quest to learn as many musical instruments as possible. So far, I’m on instrument number 9! I also love finding different ways to volunteer and connect with different communities. I’m currently learning American Sign Language and Portuguese. I also love swimming and rock climbing!
What’s the best thing about you? Probably my curiosity! I have a really strong passion for learning and for inspiring others to learn! I focused my thesis on science education because I believe that great teaching can transform the way someone sees a subject. I love getting excited about the “why” behind things and constantly challenging my assumptions on what my limits are. I will always give 100% to ensure my students have what they need to succeed and that they enjoy the process!
NERD ALERT!
I was bored one day in grade six, and I decided to memorize digits of pi. For some reason, I still have over 70 digits stored in my brain, and if you ask me, I’ll recite them for you! I also love doing puzzles and just finished a 4000 piece puzzle:)