Kyle: Blue Island tutor
Certified Tutor
I am currently an Autistic Support Teacher for the School District of Philadelphia, and I work with kindergarten through second graders. In my past teaching experiences, I have taught 5th grade and Learning Support in both high school and elementary school. My background working with children and adolescents extends back to six years ago, as I have been working at camps, completing field work in college, and now teaching. I have taught all subjects from kindergarten to sixth grade, as well as Algebra 1 and 2, Geometry, and History up to eighth grade. I will be spending this summer in Allston, as I will be teaching an Autistic Support classroom for Boston Public Schools' ESY program. With me, you'll be getting a dedicated individual who has a knack for utilizing a students strengths and interests to help build upon their areas of need.
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Undergraduate Degree: West Chester University of Pennsylvania - Bachelors, Special Education/Education
In my spare time, I enjoy playing guitar, reading, working out, and hiking!
- Algebra
- Algebra 2
- Business
- College Business
- College English
- College Geography
- College Level American History
- Elementary Math
- Elementary School Math
- English
- English Grammar and Syntax
- Essay Editing
- European History
- Executive Functioning
- Geography
- Geometry
- High School Business
- High School English
- High School Geography
- High School Level American History
- History
- Homework Support
- Math
- Middle School Math
- Other
- Phonics
- Reading
- Social Studies
- Special Education
- Study Skills
- Study Skills and Organization
- Summer
- US History
- Writing
What is your teaching philosophy?
Always put the students first. Focus on their strengths, preferences, interests, and needs in order to create a plan that educates the whole student.
What might you do in a typical first session with a student?
I would want to get to know more about them and what they hope to get out of tutoring. It would also be helpful to assess the student to see what aspects of the content they are finding difficult.
How can you help a student become an independent learner?
Give them the tools necessary to study and build their own skills. Once they are equipped with the proper tools and strategies, they will have an easier time approaching new content in the future.
How would you help a student stay motivated?
Make the content applicable to their interests.
If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, what would you do?
Work backwards to pinpoint where the issue is occurring. From there, I would try different strategies until one personally suits the student.
How do you help students who are struggling with reading comprehension?
To help with comprehension, I would have students physically utilize all aspects of the text as they read, so that they can eventually do so mentally. This means, previewing and reviewing the text, setting a purpose for reading, looking for pictures, titles, spotting bolded and italicized words, recognizing other text features, and writing annotations as we read so we can easily pull information at the end.
What strategies have you found to be most successful when you start to work with a student?
Set goals and expectations. It's important to set goals and expectations right off the bat, just like with any struggle. Learning is no different, and it is insightful for both the student and the tutor to know what each side expects and wants to achieve within the tutoring sessions.
How would you help a student get excited/engaged with a subject that they are struggling in?
The easiest way is to make it relevant to them. How is learning this content going to affect them? How are their interests related to what they are learning?
What techniques would you use to be sure that a student understands the material?
Using informal and formal methods of assessment. Informal meaning that through my own observations and records of the student's work, I will be able to tell where their understanding is. Formal assessments can be made form materials that are pulled from the state's website for that grade and content area's standards.
How do you build a student's confidence in a subject?
Create opportunities for the student to succeed and to set attainable goals.
How do you evaluate a student's needs?
Pre-assessments or talking with the student or student's parents.
How do you adapt your tutoring to the student's needs?
Tutoring and teaching is not one-size-fits-all. If the student is a visual learner, the lessons will be as visual as I can present them. If the student has difficulty sustaining attention, the session will be held in a quiet location.
What types of materials do you typically use during a tutoring session?
It could range anywhere from a paper and pencil, to an iPad, laptop, counting blocks, or poster-board.