
Mark
Certified Tutor
I currently teach 7th Grade ELA in Kenner, LA. I am certified in secondary English (6-12), working on my masters, and have a bachelor’s degree from UNO in New Orleans in Communications. My basic philosophy is higher order thinking because these skills translate into the real world in the 21st century.
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Undergraduate Degree: University of New Orleans - Bachelors, communication
Graduate Degree: Southeastern Louisiana University - Current Grad Student, Education
3 teenagers, so not many, but golf when there’s time.
- American Literature
- English
- Essay Editing
- High School English
- High School Level American Literature
- High School Writing
- Middle School Reading
- Middle School Reading Comprehension
- Middle School Writing
- Writing
What is your teaching philosophy?
Higher order thinking is high on the list when speaking of my philosophy. I like to teach application, analysis, and synthesis as these are the skills that transfer into the 21st-century world. Evidence-based responses are required in my classes and are a major part of my philosophy.
What might you do in a typical first session with a student?
I would assess a bit of prior knowledge so that we both know where we are starting, as well as sharing some of my philosophy with the student.
How can you help a student become an independent learner?
I learn by doing and suspect that most others are similar learners. After some guided instruction and a formative check for understanding, it's time to show what you got.
How would you help a student stay motivated?
Knowledge is power. Knowledge also has a tendency to raise self-esteem and confidence. These traits naturally follow success, and with knowledge comes academic success.
If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, what would you do?
I would assess my methods. Perhaps research other ways to get the material across or possibly ask one of my colleagues his or her best practices and results for the given skill or concept.
How do you help students who are struggling with reading comprehension?
Comprehension takes practice. Active reading skills, such as underlining/highlighting/annotating, need to be applied before anything to help increase comprehension skills.
What strategies have you found to be most successful when you start to work with a student?
Prior knowledge is a must. Also, getting to know what sort of learner the student is with regards to the multiple intelligence theory helps greatly.
How would you help a student get excited/engaged with a subject that they are struggling in?
I would attempt to give some personal relevance to the subject or try to relate the material to a real life experience or event.
What techniques would you use to be sure that a student understands the material?
In addition to formative checks for ongoing progress, a summative assessment must be used to check for understanding also.
How do you build a student's confidence in a subject?
One brick at a time. Small successes won at the beginning by breaking the material into parts that the student can understand and master build confidence slowly.
How do you evaluate a student's needs?
Most likely, a pre-test would be ideal, but just talking to the student can offer great insight as well.
How do you adapt your tutoring to the student's needs?
Communication is the key for adapting. Through communication with the student and formative checks for understanding, adaptations can be made.
What types of materials do you typically use during a tutoring session?
It depends on the type of learner the student is. I use different materials for a visual/spatial learner than for an auditory learner.