Erin
Certified Tutor
Undergraduate Degree: Muhlenberg College - Bachelor in Arts, Psychology and Communications
Reading, biking, playing field hockey
College English
Comparative Literature
Elementary School Math
High School English
ISEE Prep
What is your teaching philosophy?
Practice, Patience, and Positivity will lead to success.
What might you do in a typical first session with a student?
In our first session, I will definitely play a 'Get-To-Know-You' game so the student and I can learn a bit about each other. And then we will get started with a warm-up for the session's lesson.
If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, what would you do?
It is really situation-dependent. Sometimes there are multiple ways to learn a skill. If there is that option, then I will spend whatever time it takes, teaching different ways so the student can understand the concept. However, there are times when a student hits a wall with learning something. There's no getting around it for the time being. In that instance, it's OK to move on, let a concept sit on the back burner, and come back to it when the student has had more time to digest the concept.
How do you help students who are struggling with reading comprehension?
Reading is a skill. It can be honed and grown with practice. If comprehension is a problem, then we need to find out what is causing it. Is it the vocabulary? Is it the theme of the passage? There can be a variety of reasons. So we would address the problem together and figure out a personalized strategy for attacking the reading passage, figuring out what it is trying to say.
How can you help a student become an independent learner?
Scaffolding. This means building up the rigor and independence of the work that the student will complete over time. To achieve this, we will break tasks down into smaller, achievable chunks, so we can gain knowledge/confidence in our skills. As we improve, the more rigorous and more independent the work becomes.
What strategies have you found to be most successful when you start to work with a student?
Setting high expectations and maintaining them over time. Discussing brain elasticity is also important to me. It's the concept that the brain will always grow and learn with effort. We are all 'math people' and 'good at reading' if we remove negativity and focus on working hard.
What techniques would you use to be sure that a student understands the material?
There are plenty of different ways to check for understanding. My students will always complete an 'Exit Ticket' of the day's lesson. This helps me know where we mastered the lesson and where we need to review in the future.
How would you help a student stay motivated?
It is hard to motivate someone without knowing them as a person. To motivate students, I have to get to know them - learn their likes, dislikes, interests, etc. Once I know that, I can tailor lessons to their individual preferences to make dry subject material more engaging for the students.