
Bjoern
Certified Tutor
Undergraduate Degree: University of the Saarland - Bachelors, Sports Science, English (English as a Foreign Language), Educational Science
Graduate Degree: University of the Saarland - Masters, Sports Science, English (English as a Foreign Language), Educational Science
Running, Swimming, Cycling, Triathlon, Surfing, Hiking, Outdoors, Team Sports, Languages, Cultures and Costums
AP German Language and Culture
College English
Conversational German
German 1
German 2
German 3
German 4
High School English
What is your teaching philosophy?
My teaching philosophy is to pick up students where they are - know their strengths as well as weaknesses, and design lessons that are appropriate for their specific needs.
What might you do in a typical first session with a student?
I will find out more about the students, his or her goals, his or her expectations, and I will make sure they leave the session with a first accomplishment and positive experience.
How can you help a student become an independent learner?
It is important to teach students strategies of how to tackle all kinds of problems so that they improve their self-efficacy.
How would you help a student stay motivated?
Motivation is a result of lessons that are fun, diverse and show real improvement.
If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, what would you do?
I would try to use different learning channels, such as visual or auditory, as well as using real-life examples to render the concept less abstract.
How do you help students who are struggling with reading comprehension?
We are breaking down the text into smaller units, analyzing the text bit by bit. We are employing strategies, such as from broad understanding to detail.
What strategies have you found to be most successful when you start to work with a student?
It is important to build rapport with a client and to find out what kind of learner the student is in order to be able to design lessons that are appropriate.
How would you help a student get excited/engaged with a subject that they are struggling in?
I would try to find analogies between the subject and their daily life in order to increase the meaning of that subject for their personal context.
What techniques would you use to be sure that a student understands the material?
I would include a lot of occasions for the student to implement his or her newly acquired knowledge and to transfer theoretical knowledge into practical contexts.
How do you build a student's confidence in a subject?
By creating a sense of achievement.
How do you evaluate a student's needs?
By closely observing his or her work and by talking about their experience in the specific field of study.
How do you adapt your tutoring to the student's needs?
By designing lesson plans that are appropriate for their skill level, age, learner's type and experience.
What types of materials do you typically use during a tutoring session?
That depends on the topic, anything ranging from written texts, music, pictures, audio material, online links, videos, gapped texts...