
Marty
Certified Tutor
Undergraduate Degree: University of Idaho - Bachelors, Spanish
Skiing, Skydiving, Traveling, Music
What is your teaching philosophy?
The best way to learn is to teach; a good instructor will always make sure that the material and information is as accurate as possible so that the student, and vicariously the instructor, learns as much as possible.
What might you do in a typical first session with a student?
Ask the student what their personal and/or academic goals would be in a set time frame, then set up a schedule in order to achieve those goals.
How can you help a student become an independent learner?
I myself was an extremely independent learner and know many methods that could be useful in making a student more independent than they already are.
How would you help a student stay motivated?
I have had personal success in use of the subject matter outside of the classroom, and would use my own personal examples, as well as those of my associates, to motivate the student.
If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, what would you do?
Engage the student as to why they think they might be having difficulties. From there, suggest a different learning strategy that may better suit their needs.
How do you help students who are struggling with reading comprehension?
Depending on the material I would suggest students read from context and try to understand the basic points of the page, then go back and pick out the details.
What strategies have you found to be most successful when you start to work with a student?
Games. Anything interactive. No matter what the student's age, games are a fun ice-breaking way to ease into the material.
How would you help a student get excited/engaged with a subject that they are struggling in?
If it applies to their future studies/career, I would stress the importance of it in their future steps.
What techniques would you use to be sure that a student understands the material?
Intermittent quizzes about material recently covered shows that they are both understanding and retaining the information previously learned.
How do you build a student's confidence in a subject?
Once the grades are where the student wants them to be, they should feel confident in their knowledge of the material. If the grades could be improved that would only further their confidence.
How do you evaluate a student's needs?
I evaluate a student's needs based on what they may not be able to get in a normal classroom setting. Examples are one-on-one interaction, the ability to go at one's own pace, and study only what the student wants to study.
How do you adapt your tutoring to the student's needs?
I am comfortable teaching in any method that the student is comfortable with. If my method may not be working, I am always open to suggestions.
What types of materials do you typically use during a tutoring session?
Vocab. sheets, games, interactive material, quizzes, flash cards, and much more.