
Patricia
Certified Tutor
Undergraduate Degree: University of NC - Asheville - Bachelors, International Relations
Graduate Degree: George Washington University - Current Grad Student, European and Eurasian Studies
bike riding, exploring new places, trying new vegetarian dishes, taking care of animals, listening to older people talk about history, keeping up with international affairs
Adult ESL/ELL
Adult Literacy
Art
Civics
College English
Elementary School English
Elementary School Reading
Elementary School Writing
Handwriting
High School English
High School Writing
Middle School English
Middle School Reading
Middle School Reading Comprehension
Middle School Writing
Other
US Constitutional History
What is your teaching philosophy?
The student sets the pace; the teacher adapts to the student’s needs.
What might you do in a typical first session with a student?
First sessions involve speaking, writing, and grammar assessment. We check the pronunciation, comfort level, and grammar knowledge, then talk about the timeline and expectations. After that, we make a plan and decide on the materials we'll use.
How can you help a student become an independent learner?
I recommend some tried-and-true grammar books with activities and answer keys, but also suggest watching videos and writing down words you recognize. I'm a big fan of word-building; if you don't know a word, but you recognize the root is similar to another word you know, and you know prefixes and suffixes, you can probably guess the meaning and understand whether it is a noun, verb, adjective, or adverb. I encourage students to not fear mistakes. Relax and keep trying. Use every opportunity to communicate, even with strangers, so you can challenge yourself to become fearless. Take charge of your learning!
How would you help a student stay motivated?
Focus on what you have already achieved and how it has gotten you closer to your goals. Don't push yourself too hard; try to relax by watching a movie with subtitles for a while if you have overdone it on the reading and grammar. You can switch off learning actively and passively. This will keep you from burning out.
What strategies have you found to be most successful when you start to work with a student?
I design my lessons for the individuals I teach, so even though I bring a lot of experience, I don't push one way of doing things. We regularly assess our progress and adapt the lessons to focus on where the weak areas are. We target the lessons to see improvement as soon as possible so the student doesn't feel we are ignoring any areas they need help with.
How would you help a student get excited/engaged with a subject that they are struggling in?
That's easy. I'm motivated and excited, and know how to get students to share their interests with me. I can tie the lessons to what is relevant in their lives so they engage better. I like learning about my students and their cultures, and we can forget sometimes that we are working because we're integrating their lives into the themes of the lessons.
How do you build a student's confidence in a subject?
Practice!