Meera
Certified Tutor
I am a neuroscience and psychology major with a minor in leadership studies at Christopher Newport University who loves to read and write. I love both learning and teaching, and I'm a very social person. I am eager to share my experiences of success (and failure) to help my students do well in their own experiences. I love to travel and experience new things, and I love to integrate my experiences into my learning and my life.
I have some tutoring experience, having worked with two fourth-grade aged children on their English skills, including grammar, spelling, essay writing, and other subjects encompassed within a language arts class. I am however comfortable teaching math, history, and especially the sciences, including biology, psychology, and basic chemistry and physics.
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Undergraduate Degree: Christopher Newport University - Current Undergrad, Psychology & Neuroscience
Reading, writing, playing tennis, riding horses.
- Algebra
- Essay Editing
- Homework Support
- Math
- Other
- Pre-Algebra
- Psychology
- Social Sciences
- Summer
What is your teaching philosophy?
I believe everyone has the capacity to learn, and sometimes we all need a little help with our process; my philosophy is that my job is to help the process develop by providing encouragement and helpful explanations.
What might you do in a typical first session with a student?
I would get to know the student and their prior knowledge of the subject, and let the student get to know me. They will learn better if they trust and feel comfortable with me.
How can you help a student become an independent learner?
Teach them ways to learn the material on their own; strategies for learning, mnemonics, et cetera.
If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, what would you do?
I would try to explain it to them in terms of something they do understand, like a sport, game or a story.
What strategies have you found to be most successful when you start to work with a student?
Getting to know a student and letting them get to know me really works wonders. Trust is invaluable in a teaching relationship, as it helps the student be motivated to want to learn from me.
How would you help a student stay motivated?
I would begin by reminding them that although this might not be their favorite thing right now, it could very well become a part of learning how to do their favorite thing later in life.
How do you help students who are struggling with reading comprehension?
I would ask them to imagine the situation in which they were reading and see if that would help, and if not then I would ask them how they might start to explain the situation to a friend, aided by questions.
How would you help a student get excited/engaged with a subject that they are struggling in?
By giving them real-world applications of the subject, especially having to do with an area they are interested in.
How do you build a student's confidence in a subject?
By having a conversation with them about it. The more a student can talk about a subject, the more confident they will start to feel.
How do you evaluate a student's needs?
I would start by asking them questions, to see how they think they are managing, and then looking at their work to see how that compares.
What techniques would you use to be sure that a student understands the material?
I would ask them to explain the material to me in their own words. If they can re-articulate it, that means they understand it.