Luz Marina: Wood Dale tutor
Certified Tutor
I am from Colombia, South America. My native language is Spanish. I am a graduate of Colegio Odontolgico Colombiano in Bogota. I received my degree in Dentistry and a masters degree in Public Health. I practiced dentistry for twenty-five years. In addition, I was a missionary with Saint Vincent of Paul Community helping the needy. When I moved to United States, I started to teach Spanish. Right now, I am an innovative and enthusiastic teacher with thirteen years of experience helping my students to success and opening their minds for a better future. I employ kinesthetic, visual, and auditory approaches. I engage students by having fun using flash cards, posters, listening to music, watching movies and videos. I create daily lesson plans for students according to their needs. Furthermore, I developed Spanish curriculum for elementary classes. In my spare time I enjoy hiking which gives me the opportunity to admire Mother Nature and reading which enriches my life.
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Undergraduate Degree: Our Lady of Rosary (Funza-Colombia) - Bachelors, Commercial Technical High School
Graduate Degree: Colegio Odontologico Colombiano (Bogotá-Colombia) - Masters, Dentist DDS
Hiking and reading
What is your teaching philosophy?
I believe each child has the potential to bring something unique and special to the world. I will help children to develop their potential by believing in them as capable individuals. My role as a teacher is to give children the tools with which to cultivate their own gardens of knowledge. I will present curriculum that involves the interests of the children and makes learning relevant to life. I will incorporate themes, integrated units, projects, individual work, and hands-on learning in order to make children active learners.
What might you do in a typical first session with a student?
Smile! Welcome! Introduce myself and call the student by her name.
How can you help a student become an independent learner?
Practice Socratic dialogue.
How would you help a student stay motivated?
Frequent interaction.
If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, what would you do?
Ask them specific questions about their understanding.
How do you help students who are struggling with reading comprehension?
Have them read a sentence and then explain the meaning.
What strategies have you found to be most successful when you start to work with a student?
Careful clarification of classroom learning objectives.
How would you help a student get excited/engaged with a subject that they are struggling in?
Ask them what interests them about the subject.
What techniques would you use to be sure that a student understands the material?
Have the student ask me questions about the material to help me understand where they need clarification.
How do you build a student's confidence in a subject?
Positive formative feedback.
How do you evaluate a student's needs?
Conduct a baseline assessment.
How do you adapt your tutoring to the student's needs?
Ask the student to clarify their understanding of the course requirements.
What types of materials do you typically use during a tutoring session?
Flashcards, posters, glossaries, music, videos, the textbook, dictionaries, and positive interaction.