As a child, I found math challenging. I had a great teacher whose patience helped me excel at math. I believe that math and reading are accessible to everyone. My job is to find creative ways to present ideas to students to help them see how concepts apply to their lives. Each person learns differently, and I have found that patience and listening are the keys to uncovering a person's learning style. My goal is to take the fear out of learning and present kids and adults with tools so that they will succeed! Everyone can learn, given the right tools. I also believe that consistency is a key to learning. I help students to spend just a little time each day to develop consistent study habits and prevent stress. I also help people reduce test anxiety by teaching kids some test-taking techniques.

Introduce myself to the student and ask them what they like and dislike about school. Who is someone they admire and why? What is their favorite thing? What stresses them out at school? Did they ever have a teacher who they loved? I'd talk about the long-term goal of building confidence and tell them we are a team. Ask what they want to get out of it? Then, approach the first session by reviewing their class schedule and doing homework, if they have any. Set a positive goal for next meeting.

(all important!) 1. Listen! What stresses them, when they get stuck, what helped /didn't help them feel confident about learning. 2. Work with them to learn how they learn. If they are not textbook learners, help them create tools to study. 3. Work with them to create regular study habits to demonstrate that regular habits help save time and greatly reduce stress. 4. Demonstrate how concepts apply to things they are interested in. 5. Build their confidence by going through examples and homework, and letting them come up with the solutions. Encourage them to ask questions and become comfortable with reaching out when they are stuck. 6. When they get stuck, review concepts with them in a practical way and allow them to find the answer. 7. Involve their parents/family where possible. Parents/family can help kids organize their schedules to include time learning and to build consistent study habits. 8. When students understand that they can ask for help and have someone to go to, they don't get stuck in their independent learning time. 9. Practice good habits with them! 10. Laugh and make learning fun! Build positive learning experiences and learning memories.

Involve parents/family members.

Positive reinforcement: Show them what they are good at.

Review what they have learned.

I always do my best. I expect the same from them.

Show interest and enthusiasm in their progress!

Practical uses: How the learning applies to their lives and their interests.

Set goals that are realistic and recognize all achievements!

Strive for consistency. Getting there will not be a straight line, but a series of efforts. Turn negatives into positives. We learn from mistakes.

Incorporate creativity and different activities into learning.

Involve parents/family/others who are involved in their lives/learning.

Connect and care. Positive reinforcement! Remind them of their strengths and use their strengths.

Break things into learning blocks.

Pictures!

Play games!

Rhyme!

Practice. Repetition.

Have them teach you concepts. As they learn, they retain better when they are able to teach things to someone else.

Listen. Find out what they understand and what they don't.

Read out loud and ask them questions as we go along. What is the author trying to say? What does this word mean?

Put some structure around it: Have them summarize a passage or a sentence in their own words. Give them a list of questions to ask themselves, e.g. What is this person feeling? Where are they? What are they doing? Why did they feel/do that? What was new or different about what they read?

Keep a list of new words. Once they understand the word, have them write/explain the definition in their own words. At future meetings, ask them about the word/expression.

Always use positive reinforcement!

Connect with the student. Share your experiences and challenges. They may not say so immediately, but hearing how others go through the same challenges helps them know they are not so different!

Talk about what we did at the last session. Ask questions. Do they feel more comfortable with this concept?

Having students practice. The more they can do, the more comfortable they become.

Showing enthusiasm. Helping them stay motivated and engaged.

Showing students their progress!

Play a game!

Relate it to their life.

Bring enthusiasm to the process.

Use pictures and activities to mix things up.

Stand up and walk around to demonstrate ideas. Activity keeps learning lively.

Ask them questions.

Have them explain a passage/problem to you.

Play quiz games.

Use tricks like rhymes or mnemonics to help them remember ideas.

Ask them how they feel about the material.

Review their homework with them. Always work to get them to solve the problems.

Get parents/family involved where possible to help them succeed!

Review and practice! Create practice material for them. Note what they struggle with and come back to these things.

Positive reinforcement! Build confidence and positive experiences.

Expect accountability! I will bring my best game face and they have to do the same.

Work to keep their enthusiasm high and to highlight progress.

Have them get to the solution.

Practice!

Positive reinforcement!

Observe and listen.

Ask questions.

Talk to the parents.

Do examples.

Ask them what they have trouble with.

Ask them about a good learning experience.

Try different techniques and see what works. Try games, practice problems, pictures/graphics. Ask them questions. Have them explain/teach things to you. Using a combination of tools usually works, e.g. summarizing the material, quizzing them, using a mnemonic. Some students don't like mnemonics, so try a funny sentence or a picture. The only way is to ask questions and try different ways to see what works.

It depends! I can create tools as I go along and bring flashcards to practice vocabulary/math.

Students respond to different things. I always bring my own paper, pencils and colorful pens. I can use my computer. I talk things out and write/draw key concepts and relationships. I will bring examples as needed. I find it works best to have students create their own cheat sheets or flashcards. I have my own, but people tend to learn better if they are writing it out themselves. For more complex formulas, it can help to give them a cheat sheet. The key is to use it!