Katherine: Bradenton tutor
Certified Tutor
I am currently working on my Master's degree in English literature at the University of Colorado in Boulder. I received my BA from Indiana University with majors in English literature and French. I have experience teaching and grading literature courses at the undergraduate level. I tutor English topics including reading and writing as well as SAT and GRE test preparation for verbal and analytic writing. I am passionate about teaching English because I feel it helps develop our academic and personal though processes. Work in English can teach valuable skills for effective communication and critical thinking; developing these skills can make individuals into respected conversationalists and successful problem solvers in the personal and business world. Every person learns differently, so when I teach, I work to suit my teaching to a student's learning style while I also make sure to explain not just what a response should be, but also how to come up with responses to similar problems in the future and why the response is the most appropriate. When I'm not educating myself or others, I enjoy painting and hiking.
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Undergraduate Degree: Indiana University-Bloomington - Bachelors, English, French
Graduate Degree: University of Colorado Boulder - Current Grad Student, English
- SAT Math: 700
- SAT Verbal: 700
Art, hiking, painting
- College English
- Comparative Literature
- English
- Essay Editing
- Graduate Test Prep
- GRE Verbal
- High School English
- Literature
- Reading
- SAT Subject Test in Literature
- SAT Subject Tests Prep
- Test Prep
- Writing
What is your teaching philosophy?
Every person learns differently, so when I teach I keep this in mind. I adapt my teaching style to students as teaching is not for my benefit but for theirs. I believe a student should be given the opportunity to learn not simply what an answer is, but also how to come up with the answer and why the answer is appropriate.
What might you do in a typical first session with a student?
In a first session, I work to find out what a student's learning style and goals are so we can build our future sessions with these in mind. It is important that students feel comfortable with me so we will know best how to communicate with each other and work well to achieve our goals.
How can you help a student become an independent learner?
Learning independently requires not only dedication but also having a workable toolbox. To help students develop their ability to work alone, I aim to provide the methods for that toolbox by providing information about how to look at questions and problems in the future, rather than just how to answer them.
If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, what would you do?
If a student is having difficulty learning a concept, I believe in retracing our steps. Finding out where the origin of the confusion lies is the first step in working out how to make the concept more accessible. Once we know where a student is first lost, we can work together to make sure everything that comes after that is more thoroughly explained and understood.
What techniques would you use to be sure that a student understands the material?
I believe in multifaceted learning techniques. While different styles suit different students, and I adapt my teaching style to be most appropriate for any student, I also encourage students to round out their knowledge through additional techniques once the material is understood. For example, if a student works best with memorization, once that has been completed, I would introduce varied examples to be certain that the material isn't simply understood as a concept but also as an active idea.
How do you build a student's confidence in a subject?
A subject can be incredibly frustrating when it's not understood, and teaching at that level is ineffective. To build confidence in a subject, I work forward from a student's most stable understanding of the topic, rounding that out and expanding upon it until the student is ready for the next steps.