Andrew
Certified Tutor
Undergraduate Degree: Clarion University of PA - Bachelors, Secondary Education - Social Studies
Movies, outdoors, running, kayaking, golf
Civics
College Economics
College Geography
College Level American History
College World History
High School Economics
High School Geography
High School Level American History
High School World History
Macroeconomics
SAT Subject Test in World History
World History
What is your teaching philosophy?
Any student can learn and love history/social studies, as long as they are given the appropriate instruction and see the relevance of the material in their own lives.
What might you do in a typical first session with a student?
I would introduce myself, but be sure to give the student the chance to talk about themselves. Share their views on history, interests, and ways they learn best. This way I can build a program that is right for the student.
How can you help a student become an independent learner?
I think the best way to help a student become an independent learner is to build within them an interest in history, but also to teach them reading skills to help them better pull information from articles and other sources.
How would you help a student stay motivated?
Success breeds success, so I would try smaller formative assessments to allow students to see gains to motivate them to build off these gains.
If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, what would you do?
I look for ways to relate the concept to their lives. I think analogies are one of the best ways to help students connect to concepts they struggle with.
How do you help students who are struggling with reading comprehension?
In my school district, we use the "Talking to the Text" strategy, where students highlight and notate words and ideas they don't understand, main ideas, and summarize paragraphs to gain a clearer picture of content. I would start with that strategy.
What strategies have you found to be most successful when you start to work with a student?
Use of analogies to relate content, as well as using examples (primary source - cartoons, document excerpts, etc.) to help students see the history are strategies I use regularly.
How would you help a student get excited/engaged with a subject that they are struggling in?
Relating a subject to a student’s everyday life is one of the best ways to get students excited. When they realize the life lessons then can get from history/social studies, they place greater value in it.
What techniques would you use to be sure that a student understands the material?
In my classroom, I use project based learning and simulations, in addition to plenty of formative assessment to be sure students understand the material.
How do you build a student's confidence in a subject?
By putting small assessments into instruction, this gives students the opportunity to feel success regularly, and this builds their confidence. Then, you have to build off of material they've shown they understand to make connections and continue building student confidence.
How do you evaluate a student's needs?
Regular assessment combined with keeping and analyzing data helps me keep tabs on what areas students are strong in, and what areas students need further help in.
How do you adapt your tutoring to the student's needs?
Use of student reflection and formative assessment allows me to see where students need help, and allows them to better understand their needs.
What types of materials do you typically use during a tutoring session?
Lecture, primary sources (documents, cartoons, AV clips), and secondary articles (secondary sources, articles, etc.), simulations, and small projects.