What is your teaching philosophy?

Everyone has individual cognitive and academic strengths and weaknesses. Effective teachers and instructors acknowledge this and tailor their instruction to tap into the unique needs of each learner. Although some academic domains and skills may seem easier for students to manage, they can still be supported in their accessing of content and mastery of skills that they have more difficulty with in school. The best way to do this is to identify each student's unique learning style and use their strengths to compensate in those areas.

What might you do in a typical first session with a student?

Rapport-building is essential during all sessions, especially during the first session. I like to talk with the student for just a few minutes about their current course load, their strengths, and their problem areas. We may also discuss personal interests as we work through content (i.e., used in examples or modeling). I also like to hear from the student's perspective regarding the specific subject area, class atmosphere, and current experience at school because before this first session, notes and information have been provided.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

The simplest answer is often the best one: provide direct instruction, guided practice, and independent practice for the student. I am a huge proponent of modeling and using "think-alouds" during tutoring sessions, but I also like for the student to "teach-back" and walk us through steps. If time permits, I have often given "exit slips" or mini-quizzes to assess whether or not the student can independently work through the material on his/her own without my support.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

Students like when the information we cover during sessions can be applied to the real-world, especially to their own interests. I try to inquire about their hobbies, strengths, and interests to integrate during the session, which has been motivating for students in previous sessions. For my younger students, I have allowed them to pick out stickers after the end of a productive session, which they seem to like. For older students, I offer a great deal of praise because often their confidence has been shaken in the subject area.

If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, what would you do?

Typically, skills or concepts can be broken down into manageable chunks. Identifying the exact chunk in the process where the student has a breakdown in understanding is essential to resolving his/her difficulty. At times, the student may be having difficulty because he/she does not know the vocabulary/"subject-speak/talk", does not know how to identify the concept, does not know how to perform the actual skill, does not know how to transfer the skill to a novel problem/situation, and/or does not know how to break down the problem/scenario and select an appropriate problem-solving strategy/outline/approach to start. Once the actual difficulty has been identified, it is easier to support the student by providing strategies (e.g., mnemonics, pictures/diagrams, strategy menus, word choice, etc.).

How do you help students who are struggling with reading comprehension?

Reading comprehension is heavily influenced by decoding and fluency skills. If the student has trouble in either area, then that skill needs remediation first. However, if those above skills are intact, then the student may just need practice applying strategies for dissecting the passage (e.g., numbering paragraphs, highlighting unfamiliar vocab, making predictions, summarizing each paragraph, identifying the parts of the story including characters, setting, time-order/sequence of events, conflict, themes, main idea, detail-questions, etc.) and making personal connections to the text.

What strategies have you found to be most successful when you start to work with a student?

Most students respond well to visually presented information. I write down steps, vocab, examples, concepts, ideas, pictures, diagrams, charts, formulas, etc. on a white board, and students often copy these notes or visuals on their own work for future reference. Most students also respond well to my gauging when guided practice should be transitioned to independent practice. It is important that the student feels a sense of accomplishment and/or increased clarity by the end of the session.