What is your teaching philosophy?

I will be graduating from medical school (New England School of Osteopathic Medicine). I am 2011 graduate of Boston University with a B. S in Nutritional Science and pre-medical studies. I was awarded the University Scholarship and made the Dean’s list for seven semesters. During my sophomore year, I began tutoring peers in chemistry and biology at the university resource center. During senior year, I tutored weekly a local charter high school to help the students prepare for a statewide comprehension exam. I worked full time as nutrition educator in grades prekindergarten through 12th grade in many schools in the Boston Public system during my year between undergraduate and medical school. During this time, I was also a private tutor for high school students. I will start a pathology residency in the New York area and completed medical coursework in biochemistry, anatomy, and nutrition. I will be a great tutor from my in-depth understanding of the material and ability to teach and educate students in high school.

What might you do in a typical first session with a student?

Talk to the student about what they are struggling most with and set goals for our tutoring sessions.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

Have them always try problems on their own first, talk about how they arrived at answer, and constant practice!

How would you help a student stay motivated?

I would remind of them of future aspirations such as college or summer break.

If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, what would you do?

Try explaining it in a different way, i.e. use drawings.

How do you help students who are struggling with reading comprehension?

I have the practice reading passages and answering questions. We discuss how to get themes and overall concepts from the passage before beginning to answer questions.

What strategies have you found to be most successful when you start to work with a student?

1) Being friendly and honest.2) Setting goals for the tutoring session 3) Finding the student's strengths and weaknesses.

What techniques would you use to be sure that a student understands the material?

Practice problems from a textbook or the tutoring platform's learning tools. Also, quizzing them on information covered earlier in the session

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

1) Looking at prior exams, teacher and/or parent comments, and talking directly to the student.

How do you adapt your tutoring to the student's needs?

I personalize the session to how the student learns best.

What types of materials do you typically use during a tutoring session?

1) Review books 2) Tutoring platform practice questions 3) Other resources

How would you help a student get excited/engaged with a subject that they are struggling in?

Discuss with them how this class relates to future plans (other classes) or their career.

How do you build a student's confidence in a subject?

Get excited and tell them how well they do when they get a problem or concept down! Constant encouragement.