John
Certified Tutor
I believe in the power of mindset and high expectations. The two combined can result in transformation that is exceedingly and abundantly more than we could ever imagine. My purpose as a teacher is to facilitate learning that expands a student's world by exposing him/her to content that opens up opportunities of learning. As a teacher, I prioritize my instruction to be centered around the student and the student's needs. My style is fun, engaging, and rigorous, and my drive as an instructor is rooted in the success and achievements of my students.
My philosophy of teaching is simple: what are your needs and how can I help you achieve them.
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Undergraduate Degree: Elon University - Bachelors, Music Theatre
Graduate Degree: Teach For America - Masters, taught 7th grade ELA
Running, weighlifting, exploring new restaurants, visits to the museum, spending time with my family, volunteering.
- Adult Literacy
- English
- English Grammar and Syntax
- ESL/ELL
- Middle School Reading
- Middle School Reading Comprehension
- Middle School Writing
- Phonics
What is your teaching philosophy?
Always doing what is in the best interest of my student. What are your needs, and how can I help you with them?
What might you do in a typical first session with a student?
In a first session with a student, I would introduce myself and share my background as a teacher. I would then assess my student by evaluating their needs and learning more about how I can be an asset to their learning.
How can you help a student become an independent learner?
Students become independent learners when instruction is student led. One method of making this happen is by checking for understanding with a scaffolded set of questions. This way, the student is able to advocate for him/herself and gain a set of skills necessary to achieve at high levels.
How would you help a student stay motivated?
I help students stay motivated by making learning fun and engaging, and staying present with the student's needs while keeping my eyes on achieving the objective at hand.
If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, what would you do?
I check for understanding and ensure that the questions that gauge student understanding are being asked. I also unpack the misunderstanding and learn more about where the difficulty in learning the skill or concept is coming from.
How do you help students who are struggling with reading comprehension?
I help students struggling with reading comprehension by employing before, during, and after-reading strategies. Each student has his/her own strategies that work better than others, so I make sure to be consistent with these very important reading techniques.
What strategies have you found to be most successful when you start to work with a student?
The strategies I find most successful with students are ones that are centered on his/her own cognitive processing and discoveries with the content.
How would you help a student get excited/engaged with a subject that they are struggling in?
I would help a student get excited and engaged by finding what is relatable with the content. What about this material can we connect in our own lives?
What techniques would you use to be sure that a student understands the material?
Checks for understanding are crucial in the learning process. I use scaffolding to create a pyramid of questions based on understanding and rigor to ensure that the student understands the material at the highest level possible.
How do you build a student's confidence in a subject?
I build a student's confidence in a subject by focusing on his/her strengths and by creating ways to use the strengths to level out the areas of growth.
How do you evaluate a student's needs?
I evaluate a student's needs by assessing where they stand in relation to the objective/content at hand. Assessments are one of many ways to see where a student is in relation to where they should be academically.
How do you adapt your tutoring to the student's needs?
I adapt my tutoring to my student's needs by knowing exactly what they need and using my strengths as an instructor to help him/her.
What types of materials do you typically use during a tutoring session?
I use a variety of materials in a tutoring session to assess a student's understanding before, during, and after the session. The types of materials can range from those given to us to ones that I can create based on my own teaching experience in secondary education.