Michelle
Certified Tutor
Undergraduate Degree: University of Maryland-College Park - Bachelors, Psychology
SAT Composite (1600 scale): 1430
SAT Verbal: 720
SAT Writing: 780
Hiking, camping, archery, swimming, cooking, baking, singing, arts&crafts, violin, music, theater, performing arts, LARPing
AP Studio Art: 2-D Design
AP Studio Art: 3-D Design
AP Studio Art: Drawing
Art
CAHSEE ELA
College English
Comparative Literature
High School English
Homework Support
Other
Social Sciences
What is your teaching philosophy?
Work smarter, not harder! Find the right way of thinking about a problem, and the answer follows logically.
What might you do in a typical first session with a student?
Get to know their learning style and what makes them passionate about learning.
How can you help a student become an independent learner?
Give them time and stress management skills, and find ways to apply academic skills to something they are passionate about in life.
How would you help a student stay motivated?
Keep the focus on what we have achieved so far, and how it will directly benefit the student's life. Tying in learned skills with real-life situations is also great for motivation.
If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, what would you do?
First, I would seek to understand what is the basis of the student's difficulty. From there, we can find out what skills they are confident in and build on that. By starting with what we already know and adding on slowly, even complex concepts can be broken down into manageable bites.
What techniques would you use to be sure that a student understands the material?
I would ask them to explain it to me as if I was the student and they were the teacher. I would also go over any area we had trouble with and reinforce what we learned there.
How would you help a student get excited/engaged with a subject that they are struggling in?
I would find ways that skills from the subject can be applied to something they are interested in. For example, math skills (logic and memorization) can be applied to puzzle-type video games.
How do you build a student's confidence in a subject?
I build students' confidence by starting with what they already know and adding basic skills as building blocks. I keep it positive and focus on our progress so far, rather than worrying about the end goal.