What is your teaching philosophy?

My teaching philosophy is "everyone" is capable of learning. I believe we all learn best through experience, discovery, and inquiry. Learning cannot be departmentalized but must be contextualized. If we want to be successful with instruction, it's essential to know where we want to go (our objective), what tools our students' have (background knowledge/previous skills), and the best strategies to integrate to achieve the goal. Mistakes as well as failure are an opportunity for reflection, growth, and progress.

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

What I might typically do during a first session is an introduction and icebreaker to build a rapport. Next, I would seek out the student's expectations from the sessions. It's important that the student has an area of interest to improve. I would also want to assess both the student’s strengths and weakness by administering an assessment. The assessment would cover both learning styles and his/her area of academic need.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

I can help a student become an independent learner by demonstrating and instructing the student on strategies that will help them become more independent learners. For example, using a checklist to focus on editing and revising their own writing.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

I believe motivation naturally advances as students succeed. Incentives and the student monitoring their own individual progress are essential. This can be done through a simple chart for record keeping.

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

If a student has difficulty with a concept or skill, I would first begin with finding a connection students have that may be familiar to the objective being taught. When teaching it is important to build upon the students’ background knowledge because we learn best through association. Once a connection is established I would be able to expand instruction from there, but I must take it step by step.

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

The best way to help students with reading comprehension is through teaching them strategies to use prior to and during the reading of a text. Strategies to monitor comprehension are the best solution for struggling readers.

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

Drawing Pictures Making Connections Allowing the students to identify the problem Repetition Modeling/Scaffolding Discussion.

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

Find a way to integrate a personal hobby or interest to the area they are struggling in.

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

Exit ticket Objectives need to be clear but the assessment (exit ticket) used should be created to demonstrate the objective.

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

By allowing the student to experience success in areas they are strong in.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

Based upon the response and performance.

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

Every student is different. The adaptation depends on what the student requires.

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

I use text, white boards, pictures or visuals, and manipulatives.