Barbara
Certified Tutor
Undergraduate Degree: Seton Hill College - Bachelor in Arts, English and History (double major)
art, music, opera, the outdoors, and camping
College Geography
College Level American History
Fiction Writing
High School Geography
High School Level American History
Study Skills and Organization
Summer
US History
What is your teaching philosophy?
The intelligence of children is precious and must be nurtured. "Follow the light unflinchingly." --J.R.R. Tolkien
What might you do in a typical first session with a student?
Engage the person, remembering that I enter as a stranger who desires to be an advocate.
How can you help a student become an independent learner?
Students become independent learners through one success built upon the one preceding it. I commit to encourage those successes and support the person inside of the student.
How would you help a student stay motivated?
Motivation stays fluid through giving rewards, learning through play, changes of scenery, and a balanced diet of stimulation that is student specific. As advocates, we need to listen to the student. That's where we learn the keys to individual motivation. Students stay motivated when they have good cause.
If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, what would you do?
Simplify the concept. Identify tools that the student can relate to, and present the concept in parts or images that allow the student to connect to the abstract concept or skill.
How do you help students who are struggling with reading comprehension?
Provide the tools that employ familiar images and sounds. This allows me a simple way to convey concepts and give them meaning. The student ultimately needs to "own" the meaning in order to control the concept or comprehend it.
What strategies have you found to be most successful when you start to work with a student?
I always begin with a smile. I always invite the student to ask any and as many questions as desired. This is about one person engaging with another. I also encourage discussion about likes or even dislikes. It's important to make sure that students initially find a teacher or an advocate trustworthy. Without trust, the dialogue makes slow progress. Both tutor and student need to be on board for the project. We're a team.
How would you help a student get excited/engaged with a subject that they are struggling in?
I would make sure that we dispense ( at least temporarily) with the notion that there is any grading involved. Rather I would encourage adventure and discovery. Connecting the subject to positive images and experiences can change a student's perspective, and such moments are pivotal. The subject that once caused self-doubt can be seen as a whole new world.
What techniques would you use to be sure that a student understands the material?
This can be achieved through dialogue, games, puzzles, and creativity. Content evaluation needs to be tailored to the learning strengths of the student--be they visual, audio, hands-on, etc. Providing a creative outlet that combines benchmarks of cognition can produce accurate results. Much depends upon on how a student engages with testing and challenges.
How do you build a student's confidence in a subject?
I build confidence by taking the time to take the steps needed for completion. These steps may be small or large. Each step needs a process and a reward or achievement. Achievement builds confidence. We stay study buddies to the end.
How do you evaluate a student's needs?
I initially request information from parents or their committed caregivers, as well as the student. While paperwork and reports tell part of the story, the student also needs to express and communicate what is or is not working. I ask students to show or express projects that have caused elation, as well as those that have caused frustration.
How do you adapt your tutoring to the student's needs?
I always determine how best a student learns and identify strengths--visual, audio, creative, intuitive, motor, etc.
What types of materials do you typically use during a tutoring session?
I engage any media, as well as music, learning packets, books, and electronics.