Building an Essential Language Skillset to Empower Students and Business Professionals since 2007
Every student in school today needs a tutor, regardless of his or her native abilities. The stream of complex information that students are asked to master is daunting, and even the brightest student can absorb only a portion of what is being presented in the classroom. The number of students in a given class and the sensitivity of the teacher present additional challenges to the motivated student.
In the world of professional sports, an athlete represents millions of dollars invested by the franchise. Coaching is an essential part of the athlete’s training regimen because it builds skills that make a better player. Skills on the playing field win games.
As in sports, success in school-whether middle or high school-requires essential language skills that go beyond what can be readily absorbed in a classroom. Since 2007 Coaching to Win has been empowering Peninsula students to write better essays, get higher grades and score much higher on the SAT and ACT college entrance exams.
LOCATION
Located in San Mateo, and serving students on the Bay Area Peninsula, from Millbrae to Palo Alto
Book an Appointment
Phone
(650) 440-1150
About Adam Donovan
I am a very experienced language skills (verbal) coach — Yale grad, NYU grad school — with 7+ years helping middle and high school students get better grades on their English assignments in both CP and AP classes. And my SAT/ACT test prep students regularly take their scores to new levels! Having tutored many varsity and competitive high school athletes since 2007, I have developed a unique, personalized coaching model which facilitates rapid skill building and increased in-class confidence in most students.
My academic coaching focuses on the critical language skills necessary for success in any middle or high school class where reading and writing are essential: English, History, World Studies, Sociology, Philosophy, etc. SAT/ACT test prep focuses on the Essay and the Critical Reading/Writing components of the current tests. The College Board are currently working on a thorough re-design of the SAT with a roll-out goal of Feb., 2016. While traditional sentence completion (vocabulary) questions seem to be less important, all indications are that this new, re-designed test will place even greater emphasis on reading comprehension since that skill seems weakest in first-year college students. With that in mind,
My coaching aims at building an essential skillset that lasts far beyond test day!
Friendly, Professional, Patient, Passionate about your kid's success!
Services
Coaching to Win offers both year-round academic tutoring and SAT/ACT test preparation. Students are coached in all the essential skills of mastering standard written and spoken English:
Vocabulary
Grammar
Reading Comprehension
Essay Writing
Organization
Study Habits
Pronunciation
Idioms/Colloquialisms
Coaching to Win will meet with your student either in your home or at a local library. We travel from Palo Alto to Millbrae and have successfully tutored students from the following high schools: Palo Alto, Gunn, Menlo-Atherton, The Menlo School, Castilleja, Woodside Priory, Crystal Springs Uplands, Burlingame, San Mateo, Aragon and Serra High School.
Get Acquainted Meeting
First meetings are usually shorter, “get acquainted” meetings with the student and parent(s) to identify the skills that need work and to set reasonable objectives. There is no charge for a first meeting unless the parent decides that coaching should begin right away. This also gives the student an opportunity to meet the coach who will be working with him/her and to get some important organizational strategies in place.
Number of Coaching Sessions
At the first meeting with the student and parent(s) the number and duration of coaching sessions will be determined based on the needs and objectives of the student. In some cases a brief diagnostic exercise may give a clearer indication of the student’s particular language skill level.
SUMMER WRITING/VOCAB INTENSIVE
Learn to write A-level essays and reports using essential tools used by Hollywood film directors and TV producers. Build a strong, SAT-busting vocabulary! Learn to
Brainstorm
Storyboard
Pre-write
Rough draft
Final edit
Five 2-hour sessions in JULY MONDAY JULY 13 Time: 4:00 to 6:00pm Fee: 245.00
MONDAY JULY 20 TUESDAY JULY 21 Location: Foster City Parks & Recreation Dept.
MONDAY JULY 27 TUESDAY JULY 28 650 Shell Drive Foster City CA 94401
To Register: Contact Foster City Parks & Recreation 650-286-3380 www.fostercity.org
For questions or information about course content: Adam Donovan 650-440-1150 adonovan650@gmail.com
“Mr. Donovan was an interesting and energizing tutor, which made preparing for the SAT and ACT a less tedious task. He was especially insightful when it came to studying vocabulary because he helped me realize how prefixes and suffixes could give me a clue to what the word meant. His tips for the reading passages were also very helpful because I focused on the important parts of the passages, such as main idea, significance, and speaker, which made answering the questions much easier. Because of his tremendous breath of knowledge, regarding English and other subjects, he is a great resource for any student. His welcoming spirit and motivation truly make the student feel that he or she is improving and succeeding. ”
“It is so great to have Adam as my tutor! Every session we have, I always learn something new that I know will benefit me in the future. He doesn’t just teach English, he teaches about life. He has taught me how to appreciate the beauty of the English language.”
“Adam is an excellent teacher and has demonstrated genuine interest in enabling his student’s success. He is dynamic in his teaching methods and is able to teach my son numerous approaches to solving problems in literature and writing. He teaches him how to fish on his own and engages the student in figuring out the solution. In literature, he is able to help the student interpret the real meaning of each paragraph and bring it alive. I can see significant progress that Adam has brought to my son, his devotion is impressive and the results outstanding. ”