Komla: Quebec City tutor
Certified Tutor
We all speak a language which makes it common to all of us. This reflects the nature of language and the will or the need to communicate. Yet all the languages are not the same and, learning them can be something difficult but necessary for intercultural exchange to people in contact. I will be glad as a French near-native speaker, to help people achieve that goal.
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Undergraduate Degree: SUNY at Albany - Bachelors, French /Linguistics
Graduate Degree: SUNY at Albany - PHD, French
Reading, Drama, Volley-ball
What is your teaching philosophy?
Study a language when you passed, what I can call, the language acquisition period. Language acquisition can be difficult beyond this period. My teaching philosophy is participative, and tries to make students in that situation to learn in my lectures and in motivated discussions. it makes students practice on what I taught.
What might you do in a typical first session with a student?
Present myself to the student and try to know him/her too. And then establish rapport (we all are about to learn, etc.). Introduce the material and know the student expectations. A dew questions could help to identify the needs or the lacks of the student, and help to see the lessons to teach him/her.
How can you help a student become an independent learner?
By making the student self-confident, giving daily homework and assignments to self-monitor. Encourage any effort the student makes in participation.
How would you help a student stay motivated?
Focus on the participation and reward it. Address the student by his/her name. Have small groups discussions on any class works or exercises. Give him/her the opportunities to share his/ her answers and suggestions.
If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, what would you do?
Sometimes learning in class is not enough for some students. If a student has difficulty learning a concept, most of the time, a few minutes spent in the office one on one resolves the problem. So I will spend few minutes to explain the concept with more examples to him/her.
How do you help students who are struggling with reading comprehension?
Make the student predict the end of story, and guide the student to read by repeating sentences. Make the student ask and answer his/her own questions to understand the text. Ask the student to retell, and summarize the story using his/her own words.
What strategies have you found to be most successful when you start to work with a student?
Making my lessons visual (PowerPoint, slides, pictures, etc.), working with a peer in a small group, and making a link or a connection between lessons.
How would you help a student get excited/engaged with a subject that they are struggling in?
Connect the lesson to the real life and relate some experiences, and motivate the student with more explanations on the subject.
What techniques would you use to be sure that a student understands the material?
Question-Answers in a review sections or quiz.
How do you build a student's confidence in a subject?
Help the student to understand that his/her grade and especially final grade depends on his/her hard work. Ask the student to tell you what was difficult on the previous test, for example, and if he/she has the change to do the same test, will he/she improve his/her grade?
How do you evaluate a student's needs?
I evaluate a student's needs by his/her works. I look at his/her homework, grade them, and ask to redo some after one-on-one explanation with the student. An oral presentation is done, and the student will give an evaluation on his/her own oral to check if first, the student can tell what I see and say on which point he/she has to work on, and if he/she can learn from it to avoid the same mistakes in the next oral.
How do you adapt your tutoring to the student's needs?
It depends on the situation. To make sure my student follows me, I make short lessons, have him/her repeat vocabulary words after me, give some oral presentations in a group or individual, grade participation, etc.
What types of materials do you typically use during a tutoring session?
The material I am using for my current instructor's position called "Chez nous" with audio and videos included.