Carol

What is your teaching philosophy?

Learning is fun! Everyone can succeed! It is important for the teacher to discover a way to teach that will make the student(s) successful.

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

In a typical first lesson with a student, I would want to do an activity or game that would help me to get to know them and to assess their learning style.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

I can help a student to become an independent learner by giving him/her the tools to succeed and allowing him/her to accomplish the task.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

I would first need to learn what is important to the student and what motivates him/her. Once I have this information, then I can help the student to stay motivated.

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

If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, then I would break it down into smaller parts so that they can accomplish sub-skills as they work their way up to accomplishing the skill.

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

I would have them orally read portions of the piece of literature and then ask them questions so that they would think about what they are reading. I would also encourage them to look up words that they did not know. I would also teach them to summarize all or part of the passage.

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

Each student is a unique individual, so the best strategy is to learn to know the student and to find out what works best for him/her.

How would you help a student get excited/engaged with a subject that they are struggling in?

I would find a way to make it relevant to him/her. It is much easier to get excited/engaged with something that you can resonate with.

What techniques would you use to be sure that a student understands the material?

There are several ways to make sure that the student understands the material. 1) If it is a math problem or a question (reading or English), give them a similar one to the one you have worked on and see if they can apply the concepts to answer the question, 2) Oral questioning techniques, and 3) Maybe a brief quiz in the form of a game.

How do you build a student's confidence in a subject?

I would build their confidence by providing them with positive feedback and encouragement.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

I would evaluate a student's needs by asking questions and getting to know them. I may also use an informal assessment to determine their needs.

How do you adapt your tutoring to the student's needs?

I would do what I could to get to know the student so that I could assess their individual need and adapt my tutoring accordingly.

What types of materials do you typically use during a tutoring session?

This depends on what I am teaching. Possibly paper, pens or pencils, books, worksheets, possibly a small whiteboard, games, and note cards, etc.