Matt
Certified Tutor
Undergraduate Degree: Yale University - Bachelors, Political Science and Government
SAT Composite (1600 scale): 1580
SAT Math: 760
SAT Verbal: 800
SAT Writing: 780
Basketball, other sports, reading, video games
What is your teaching philosophy?
Every student deserves a legitimate chance at success, and as a teacher and tutor, it is my job to provide students with an opportunity to succeed.
What might you do in a typical first session with a student?
In a first session with a student, it is very important to begin forming a relationship with him or her! I want to know my students' goals and aspirations so that I can know how to best serve them and help them meet their expectations.
How can you help a student become an independent learner?
Providing students with the tools to succeed without doing the bulk of the mental heavy lifting is the best way to build a student's independent learning skills. A student that is equipped with the proper strategies can tackle any problem on their own and be successful in doing so.
How would you help a student stay motivated?
I would incorporate outside resources, whether in the form of games, visual media, or other platforms. I would also continually work on relationship building - doing so would help me understand the student's goals and allow me to push them to accomplish those goals.
If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, what would you do?
I would demonstrate patience, and make sure to work through the tougher concepts slowly, possibly even starting at more fundamental stages to make sure that the student has the necessary tools/grasp of basic concepts to answer higher level questions. I would also use the student's strengths in other areas to build the student's confidence in general.
How do you help students who are struggling with reading comprehension?
My first suggestion is always to read more books! Reading on a regular basis is the most enjoyable and organic way to build upon comprehension skills. I would also work with students to build an understanding of context, annotation, and other textual deconstruction skills that help with basic comprehension.
What strategies have you found to be most successful when you start to work with a student?
Relationship building is always the number one strategy to use when working with students.
How would you help a student get excited/engaged with a subject that they are struggling in?
I would first try to find common interests with the student in question, and then work to relate those interests to the subject with which they had struggles. Then, I would work to incorporate those interests into a lesson - this could be in the form of using their favorite book for passage comprehension, or using statistics from their favorite sports to teach a math concept.
What techniques would you use to be sure that a student understands the material?
Checks for understanding are hugely important, and many strategies exist for gauging a student's comprehension. I would feel comfortable doing any of the following: providing students with answers as they work for their own checks, creating a short (1-2 question) assessment to test their comprehension at the end of a lesson, or even asking the student to rate their comprehension on a scale of 1 to 5. This is by no means an exhaustive list!
How do you build a student's confidence in a subject?
Constant practice and preparation builds mastery in any subject, regardless of prior aptitude. Some students may take more time to approach mastery than others, but patience from the teacher/tutor often results in a positive learning environment that focuses on deeper understanding.
How do you evaluate a student's needs?
Pre-tests can provide some information about a student's strengths and areas for growth, but observations by the teacher or tutor complete the picture. Having a full idea of a student's needs comes from seeing them operate on paper and in person; a melding of anecdote and data.
What types of materials do you typically use during a tutoring session?
With in-person tutoring, I prefer to use paper and pencil/pen, prep materials, and my laptop, if necessary.