
Patrice
Certified Tutor
Undergraduate Degree: The University of Chicago - Bachelors, Political Science and Government
Writing, composing and producing music, working out, fashion
College English
Comparative Literature
High School English
What is your teaching philosophy?
My teaching philosophy is holistic, multi disciplined, engaging, interactive, and very student-driven.
What might you do in a typical first session with a student?
In a first session for a student, I would ask a lot of questions in order to see where the student is and how I can best assist him or her.
How can you help a student become an independent learner?
I can help a student craft a customized and individualized plan to help him or her based on the student's needs.
How would you help a student stay motivated?
That truly depends on the student. Each student is different, but I like to use practice problems or come up with scenarios based on the student's interests (ex: music, sports, the arts).
If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, what would you do?
I have a ton of patience! I work with students every single day who may struggle with a concept, and I have found that having the student explain the concept to me is a great place to start. From there, I can assess where the gaps need to be filled in and come up with a great plan to help that student.
How do you help students who are struggling with reading comprehension?
I begin by having a student break the reading into small chunks. From there, I ask the student to summarize a couple of sentences at a time. Then, I can help the student based on what he or she is missing.
What strategies have you found to be most successful when you start to work with a student?
1) asking the students many questions 2) having the student "teach" me what he or she has learned
How would you help a student get excited/engaged with a subject that they are struggling in?
Once again, I like to pull in my students' interests. For example, If a student is really into science, I try my best to integrate a lot of science-based examples into our practice problems.
What techniques would you use to be sure that a student understands the material?
In my 6 years of teaching, I have found the most effective way to measure whether or not a student truly grasps the material is for him or her to teach it back to me.
How do you build a student's confidence in a subject?
You can build a student's confidence in a subject by continually encouraging him or her, no matter how small or large the accomplishment/progress.
How do you evaluate a student's needs?
By asking a ton of questions, and also by simply doing grammar questions or reviewing an essay/the student's work with him or her.
How do you adapt your tutoring to the student's needs?
I am very comfortable adapting my teaching style to a student's needs. I work at a small school where I do this on a daily basis. I'm very quick at assessing what the student needs and how I can best help him or her.
What types of materials do you typically use during a tutoring session?
For the most part, paper and a pen or pencil, although it depends on the assignment.