The CAS Teaching Method

CAS simply stands for "common sense", "adaptive" and "streamlined". This is the learning and teaching process which I have followed throughout my academic career. The process is easy to follow and use as teaching method.

C for Common Sense

In my tutorials, I follow the CAS approach to effectively deliver complicated material to students of all grade levels, regardless of their own perceived abilities. In this type of session, all problems are approached from a common sense perspective while maintaining academic rigor. The basic standpoint is that complicated ideas should be explained to a student from a point within the student's comfort level. Time is often wasted by introducing a complicated idea and then progressively backtracking until the student recognizes a fundamental concept or principle. If complicated ideas can be related to simple principles and common sense the student will become confident, because the student will feel that understanding such concepts is within their reach. This is my motivation for using simple words to explain complicated topics and introducing appropriate terminology at key moments. For example, when a student reaches a milestone in the understanding of a concept, that moment can be solidified with a 'fancy' keyword. This is a proven memorization tool in my experience with students. Another key aspect of the common sense approach is to provide practical motivation as much as possible.

A for Adaptive

Common sense is the most fundamental principle of the CAS method. However, not every student's brain is wired the same way, so my teaching method adapts to an individual student's needs. From experience I have found that no single explanation is universal to all students. It is important for the educator to be able to explain a specific topic from many perspectives. If one approach is not amenable to a given student, then another should be tried, and so on. In all of my years of teaching and tutoring, I have never failed at delivering an idea to a student. There is always a way! For example, if the student is a visual learner, then a geometric approach should be used. If the student doesn't gravitate to this approach, then a more algebraic approach can be used with the aid of repetition and use of patterns. I believe there is always a way of explaining the material to a student. If a student can understand a given concept or solve a problem from different angles, then there is a high probability that they will have strong academic performance.

S for Streamlined

Time is of value to everyone. A five-minute explanation should not be dragged on for an hour as is done in many classes, lectures, and tutorials. The final piece to the CAS teaching method is the streamlined process. Efficiency is the key to keeping students captivated. Maintaining momentum is essential to keeping a student's focus. After the session is complete, there is a genuine feeling of accomplishment on both ends. The student truly feel like they have learned and the teacher truly feels like they have taught.

Over the past 10+ years, I have developed and used the CAS teaching method in many capacities; for myself, with fellow students, as a TA for four years, as a course instructor/lecturer for another four years, and as a tutor concurrently and ever since. This method has been proven successful and continues to improve.

Beyond the CAS Method

In addition to the CAS method, I want to point out that there are other important aspects in my teaching method. Hard work, neatness, and communication play a key role, in the student-tutor interaction. I patiently try to emphasize these things over time. A tutor and a student must connect on a personal level and be able to relate to each other. I strive to provide a friendly and empathetic learning environment. It is a reflection of my personality, because that is the way I try to be with everyone that I interact with on a daily basis. I also try to balance short- and long-term goals. Yes, it is important to prepare for a test or an exam; but it is also important to build a solid foundation for future learning and concepts. The examples that are selected in a session are done so in an efficient manner that covers roughly 90 percent of the material that would be covered on a test.--The 90 percent measure is more qualitative and merely points out that those who administer tests always will have a tricky question in mind. But, with a solid foundation and familiarity with fundamental examples, a student will have less anxiety on a test and will be able to tackle the harder problems with a clearer head. With students of all ages and preconceived skills, I try to instill mature thinking and learning principles that can be transfered to a higher-learning environment, and especially life!

Optimal Session Time

I have found that from experience for most students a 1.5-2 hour session is optimal. Specifically, for grades 6-8, 1.5 hours is a good amount of time for a session. For higher grades, the session time is 2 hours. If you are looking for a one-hour session once a week, the equivalent, is to have a 2 hour session every other week. It is the same cost in the long run. However, it more effective to have the 2 hour session because startup time is eliminated for the second hour and information (which is already fresh in the student's mind) can be used to take the material in to the next level in the second hour. If the CAS approach is followed and comfortable and personable learning environment is established then the 2 hour time frame is realistic for high-school students. I should also mention that I have worked with several students diagnosed with ADD for 1.5 or 2 hours and noticed no significant distracted behaviour.

For university students session duration is not much of a debatable issue. Usually, 2 hours is a minimum for session time. However, I am not one to edorse marathons either. Therefore 2 hours is my minimum and my maximum for grades 9 and up.

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