What is your teaching philosophy?

Learning has always excited me, and I want to provide my students with the same feeling of invigoration and understanding that I feel as a student. Instead of purely lecturing, I aim to freshen up my lessons using activities and questions to engage my students in learning. I often use multiple methods of explanation, such as verbal and visual, in order to convey information in a fun, interesting, and clear manner.

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

In a typical first session with students, I will first ask questions about them and their school in order to better understand their background. I also like to set up goals with my student, focusing especially on areas where they feel they need more improvement or guidance. These goals will aid us throughout our sessions not only in staying on track, but also in measuring improvement.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

I help my students become independent learners not just by providing answers, but by providing my students with scaffolding on which to build their academic success. I ask guiding questions and teach my students not only the subject matter, but study and organization skills that will aid them in their future academic endeavors.

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

If students are struggling with reading comprehension, I first like to slow down the reading by reading the same selection multiple times. Next, we go through it line by line, or paragraph by paragraph, and I have my students repeat what the text is saying in their own words. Lastly, we will do a "tell-back" in which my students will verbally summarize the text as a whole.