Laura
Certified Tutor
Undergraduate Degree: University of Washington - Bachelors, Music, Theater
Graduate Degree: California Institute of the Arts - Master of Fine Arts, Costume Design
History, Costume Design, Reading, Dogs, Photography, Jewelry-Making, Writing Children's Stories
10th Grade Reading
10th Grade Writing
11th Grade Reading
11th Grade Writing
12th Grade Reading
12th Grade Writing
Adult Literacy
Ancient and Medieval Heritage
AP US History
College English
College Level American History
College World History
High School English
High School Level American History
High School World History
High School Writing
Homeschool
Homework Support
Honors
OLSAT Prep
Other
SAT Subject Test in World History
SAT Subject Tests Prep
SAT Verbal
Shakespeare
Study Skills
Study Skills and Organization
Summer
US History
Vocabulary
World History
What is your teaching philosophy?
I'm listening! My students are going to have a better idea than I -- at first -- about what they need help with. Observe, ask questions, and work together to problem solve their success. Encouragement, patience, and humor ALWAYS. Praise when earned. Adapt and be flexible. Students learn in many different modalities. Every student is a brilliant A+ student and will be treated as such, until they prove otherwise.
How can you help a student become an independent learner?
Tools! Give them a framework for learning that fits their abilities. Practice, repeat, embed that framework until they can 'own' it.
How would you help a student stay motivated?
Change up the routine. Use humor. Take breaks. Encourage and praise in adequate quantities.
If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, what would you do?
Reword. Try a different path (approach) to the same destination. Change the learning style used to arrive at an answer. Ask for their assessment of the stumbling blocks. Ask someone else for input and help.
How do you help students who are struggling with reading comprehension?
Break it down into the smallest bites necessary. Stop frequently and ask questions or explain. Try multiple learning styles (e.g., maybe they comprehend better if they read it out loud).
What strategies have you found to be most successful when you start to work with a student?
Listen and question first! Never start out by talking at them. They're probably nervous -- put them at ease. Enlist them in their own learning -- you're a team!
What might you do in a typical first session with a student?
Learn the basics: what grade, what school, what subjects he/she likes. Then I ask for his/her personal insight into why we're meeting and what his/her expectation from tutoring is. I'll ask if he/she knows what his/her learning style is, what he/she wants to accomplish, set (reasonable) goals, and settle into where he/she is in the subject matter. I'll ask questions, but mostly I listen.
How would you help a student get excited/engaged with a subject that they are struggling in?
Personalize it, if possible. Use multiple learning tools, tell stories, and teach learning tricks. Encourage (always) and praise (when appropriate).
What techniques would you use to be sure that a student understands the material?
Ask content questions. Ask for interpolations/extrapolations from the information covered. Drill. Ask the student to teach it back to me.
How do you build a student's confidence in a subject?
Step by step. Confirm and praise his/her mastery of material. Keep track of where he/she started and how far he/she has come. Again, teaching it back with confidence builds self-esteem.
How do you evaluate a student's needs?
Ask questions. Listen! Ask the student about what has worked/not worked for them in the past. Adjust my teaching style to match their need.
What types of materials do you typically use during a tutoring session?
Visual aids, extra-textual sources, maps, drawings, music (!), and a laptop.