Welcome to Knowledge Bump! I'm very excited to have you join me on this new journey. As the Founder, I thought I'd start the Knowledge Bump Blog with a post about who I am, what I do, and where Knowledge Bump came from.
I started this company because I saw a lot of gaps; The current public school model isn't meeting the needs of many students, post-secondary institutions are not always ensuring undergraduate students are getting the most out of their classes, and private tutoring is inaccessible for many parents across Ontario. After teaching and tutoring both children and undergraduates for a number of years, I felt it was time I took my experience and knowledge and did something about this problem. And with that, Knowledge Bump was born!
I wanted to be an affordable option, but one that doesn't sacrifice quality to achieve that goal. That's why I also have the philosophy of only using highly educated, experienced tutors that are well-versed in current Ontario curriculum and emerging research in education methods and pedagogy. Part of achieving this is by making sure Knowledge Bump compensates tutors well while keeping costs down for the parents.
But what about me, specifically? What's my background? I'm currently a PhD student at the University of Waterloo studying English Language and Literature and Video games. Sounds strange, I know, but let me explain: For the most part, I look at narrative structures in video games. In other words, much of my research focuses on how stories are told through games. It's through this research that I end up discovering emerging methods about how games and storytelling can have a great impact on learning and education. My big "research questions", are, essentially, "how do games tell stories?", "how do people experience stories and how does it give them a deeper understanding of the world around them?", and "how do these things impact systems like education?" In the past, I've worked on research projects with the Federal Government that implement "gamification" (game theory and practice) and story-based learning.
More importantly, my PhD has helped prepare me for university-level instruction; but don't let that fool you. I've been working with and teaching children of all ages for several years, and much of the knowledge I've gained through my PhD training is easily modified for younger students. I've conducted research and completed training courses on teaching methods and pedagogical theory, while also having practical experience teaching students of all ages, at all levels.
At the end of the day, I'm just someone with a passion for education and learning, out here trying to fill the gaps the best way I know how: by TEACHING!
I hope you continue to join me on this journey. Together, we can make education more effective, fun, and accessible.