Barbara
Certified Tutor
Undergraduate Degree: San Jose State University - Bachelors, Natural Sciences
State Certified Teacher
painting,birdwatching,hiking,avid reader,knitting
2nd Grade
3rd Grade
4th Grade
5th Grade
6th Grade
Art
College English
Comparative Literature
Drawing
Ecology
Elementary School
Elementary School Math
Elementary School Reading
High School English
Homework Support
Life Sciences
Other
Painting
Study Skills
Study Skills and Organization
Summer
What types of materials do you typically use during a tutoring session?
Currently I am using manipulatives for math, and a Chromebook to access websites. I also like to use a whiteboard for students to readily work on problems with a variety of markers, plus colored pencils and crayons for other assignments. I have high interest books at their level and incentives to reward their progress. If needed I generate practice pages from carefully chosen websites to provide additional reinforcement.
What might you do in a typical first session with a student?
In the first session I like spend a little bit of time getting to know each, sharing some of our interests or hobbies. Depending on the age of the student I might have them do a short writing sample about themselves. Then I want to know what they are having difficulty with and explore what is blocking their progress. I will ask or infer what they hope to accomplish out of our sessions. I also try and find out what kind of learning style they have by observing them as we work together. From the information that I get, I begin to implement strategies and devise plans to make them successful in reaching their academic goals.