Christina
Certified Tutor
Undergraduate Degree: Sam Houston State University - Bachelor in Arts, English
Graduate Degree: Sam Houston State University - Unknown, Educational Leadership
Reading, Writing, Scrapbooking
10th Grade Reading
10th Grade Writing
11th Grade Reading
11th Grade Writing
12th Grade Reading
12th Grade Writing
6th Grade Reading
6th Grade Writing
7th Grade Reading
7th Grade Writing
8th Grade Reading
8th Grade Writing
9th Grade Reading
9th Grade Writing
Adult Literacy
American Literature
AP English Literature and Composition
British Literature
College Level American Literature
Comparative Literature
COMPASS Writing Skills
Elementary School Reading
Elementary School Writing
Expository Writing
Fiction Writing
High School English
High School Level American Literature
High School Writing
Homeschool
Introduction to Fiction
Middle School Reading
Middle School Writing
Persuasive Writing
Spanish 1
STAAR EOC Prep
Technical Writing
Vocabulary
What is your teaching philosophy?
I believe that all students are capable of learning, and that it is my responsibility to create instructional opportunities that are tailored to individual students' needs.
What might you do in a typical first session with a student?
To begin, I typically assess students' needs by talking about their goals and their perceived strengths and weaknesses. I might also ask them to complete a preassessment, depending on their comfort level and needs.
How can you help a student become an independent learner?
I help students become independent learners by teaching them the skills they need to be able to tackle questions on their own. I often let students struggle through finding the right answer so that they are better able to cope with similar questions in the future.
How would you help a student stay motivated?
I believe it is important to help students set incremental goals, and then reward them for reaching those goals. By helping them see that their hard work is paying off, students stay motivated to continue working.
If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, what would you do?
If a student has difficulty understanding a concept, I try to put it into a context that they are familiar with. I also ask students to explain anything that they do understand about the concept so that I can see where their gaps in knowledge exist.
How do you help students who are struggling with reading comprehension?
I use reading comprehension strategies such as annotation, questioning the author, and guided reading to help students internalize what they are reading.
What strategies have you found to be most successful when you start to work with a student?
I find that building trust is the most important element in beginning a tutor-tutee relationship. As long as the student trusts the teacher, they will feel safe in asking questions and making mistakes, which leads to deeper learning.
How would you help a student get excited/engaged with a subject that they are struggling in?
In order to help a student get engaged with a subject, I try to find a way to relate the subject to a topic the student is interested in. For example, if a student is struggling with reading comprehension, but she likes sports, I will guide her to practice reading articles about sports so that she is engaged with the topic, even though she struggles with the skill.
What techniques would you use to be sure that a student understands the material?
I use both formative and summative assessment to ensure students understand material. While we are working on a skill, I ask them to explain how to complete the task or answer a question using their own words. Once the student believes that she has mastered the skill, I will give her a set of questions to test her expertise.
How do you build a student's confidence in a subject?
I believe that students' confidences are built when they see progress being made. In order to accomplish this, I point out when students are able to accomplish something they hadn't been able to do in the past and offer a small reward.
How do you evaluate a student's needs?
I talk with both students and parents about the areas the student struggles in. I also offer pre-assessments as a means to assessing gaps in the student's knowledge.