Sarah
Certified Tutor
Undergraduate Degree: University of California-Davis - Bachelor in Arts, English/French
Graduate Degree: University of Nebraska-Lincoln - Master of Arts, Education
home design, crafts, finding good deals
What might you do in a typical first session with a student?
Get an idea of what they are currently learning by going over their current curriculum and assessing what they know from previous learning.
How can you help a student become an independent learner?
By creating a solid base of correct information from which they can draw.
How would you help a student stay motivated?
Help them excel in class.
If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, what would you do?
First, I would start by going back to basics, and then I would give them different techniques to help them remember the information.
How do you help students who are struggling with reading comprehension?
Read! Practice is the best way to learn reading in any language.
What strategies have you found to be most successful when you start to work with a student?
Continued practice. A student can usually achieve their goal at the end of a session, but whether or not they will be able to apply that skill in a day, a week, or a month will depend on how often they use it.
How would you help a student get excited/engaged with a subject that they are struggling in?
Help them see how much they really do know, and help them to use that knowledge to build continued successes.
What techniques would you use to be sure that a student understands the material?
Quiz them.
How do you build a student's confidence in a subject?
Small successes that snowball to larger ones.
How do you evaluate a student's needs?
Find out what they know and what they should know. I am pretty familiar with classroom curriculum, so I have a pretty good idea of what students have covered and what they should know.
How do you adapt your tutoring to the student's needs?
It would depend on the student. Some students would rather just get the straight forward information. Others may enjoy playing games and learning songs to help them understand the information.