Sheehan

What is your teaching philosophy?

"The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires." - William Arthur Ward. There's nothing more powerful and motivating than being inspired in learning. I don't just "teach," I want to inspire you so that you eventually learn for a " love" for the language (i.e. Chinese) but not for a "need." Learning should be a fun and enjoyable process and everyone has his/her own pace and way to learn. Therefore, I personalize all teaching materials for EVERY SINGLE student/client based on personality, interests, talents, and requirements.

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

Assess how much the student knows about the language and understand why he/she wants to learn, his/her learning goal, and time frame in order to work out a learning plan that most suits the student.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

By inspiring him/her to develop an interest in or even passion for the language. A light assignment is often given after each session so the student continues to explore even outside of the classroom.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

Try to find out the reason behind the difficulty, and then alter or modify my way of teaching accordingly and give as many examples as possible for easier understanding.

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

To find out what kind of teaching methods a student is most comfortable with and most talented in. Some people are more visual, some musical, some require repetition, while some learn faster through games. Once I figure out what works best for a student, I spend time on constructing and preparing materials accordingly.

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

I use a variety of games including movements, drawing, stories, etc. Flashcards, notes, videos, PowerPoints and so on; you name it.