Ian P.
Private tutor in Canberra Capital Hill, Australia
Education
I hold a BA in Psychology from Cornell University in the US, and lived in Japan for two years. I can help with a great range of biology-, psychology-, and neuroscience-related topics, due to my focus on brain development and behavior. I took many classes on creative writing in order to round out my education, and because I did research I have experience with writing grant proposals and research writeups. I also studied Japanese for three and a half years and used it extensively throughout my time in Japan. I have reached the N3 level of the JLPT, but my particular strengths are in speaking, listening, and reading comprehension. I've worked hard at making my pronunciation and word choice as native as possible, and I'd love to help you do the same.
Experience
At Cornell I took a range of classes relating to psychology, biology, and neuroscience: Cellular and Developmental Biology, Comparative Physiology, Intro to Biopsychology, The Biopsychology of Learning and Memory, Hormones and Behavior, Psychology of Attention, and The Evolution of Behavior. In addition I conducted research for three and a half years in the Cornell BABY Lab, a renowned laboratory studying the development of brains and behavior in both human infants and zebra finches. I also enrolled in seminar classes discussing contemporary prominent papers in developmental psychology and neuroscience. I took the first three years of my school's Japanese classes, putting me through to the Continuing Intermediate level, and took a special seminar wherein we discussed in Japanese the history of Zen Buddhism and its impact on medieval Japanese art and culture. In completing my Japanese-related Coursework, I earned the award for Most Promising Elementary Japanese student, as well as special graduation cords from the Japanese National Honor Society. While in Japan I worked as an ALT for the JET Programme, teaching English to Japanese students at the junior high school level. I worked one on one with select students to prepare for competitions, and had my students place well enough to advance to higher levels, so I'm comfortable with tailoring a tutoring approach that meets the exact needs of my student, no matter the subject matter. Finally, as mentioned I took several forms of writing classes: Narrative Writing twice, with authors John Lennon and Stephanie Vaughn, and Verse Writing once, with poet Lyrae Van Clief-Stefanon. I also took writing seminars focused on expository and philosophical writing, and as part of my research I often wrote research papers and proposals.
Availability
Any day at any time
Can Meet
Up to 30 minutes away for no additional charge
Hobbies
I love to travel, which may be obvious by my having come from the US and Japan to Australia. I've also backpacked through much of Europe, trekked in the Himalayas of Nepal, basked on the beaches of Hong Kong, and explored ancient temples and landfills alike in Indonesia. I'm also an avid hiker and camper: I like nothing more than a chance to get outside and explore somewhere new and beautiful. Ultimately I'd like to work as a park ranger, to synergize my intellectual interests in biology and animal behavior with my need for adventure. I love reading and writing, although my recent focus has been more on editing than writing. I also very much enjoy martial arts: I practiced Kendo in University, and was lucky enough to practice Karate with a very skilled teacher while in Japan. Finally, I love board games and tabletop roleplaying games, as they're some of the most fun things you can do with good friends and family.
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