Michelle
Certified Tutor
Undergraduate Degree: Gonzaga University - Bachelors, French
Reading, walking with my dog, doing crossword puzzles, cryptograms and trivia challenges, working with my therapy greyhound and helping at the therapy dog office.
Adult ESL/ELL
Elementary School Math
Elementary School Reading
Elementary School Writing
French 1
High School Writing
Middle School Reading
Middle School Reading Comprehension
Middle School Writing
Other
What is your teaching philosophy?
I would have to say that my philosophy of teaching is that I would like to help you reach your goals. Teaching is not one way. I cannot pour information into your head, but I can help you learn, and help you find out sources of information. A student is responsible for himself or herself, but I would like to help you develop that sense of responsibility.
What might you do in a typical first session with a student?
In a first session, I'm going to talk with a student and find out what he or she likes, what problems s/he is having, and what his or her course book looks like. I'm going to try to find out what the student thinks is the best approach and work with all these factors in developing my approach.
How can you help a student become an independent learner?
I'm going to ask a lot of questions. I'm going to get the student to think for himself or herself. I'm going to point out good sources of information and ask the student to look for himself or herself at those sources. The goal is to get a student to use his or her thought processes, apply logic, analyze the information, and critically evaluate it.
How would you help a student stay motivated?
I'd like a student to work toward being internally motivated. I don't think motivation can be imposed. But, I do think the teacher can suggest topics that are more interesting, can approach problems in a new way that might "grab" the student, and change up approaches as necessary.
If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, what would you do?
I have a variety of reference materials. I would try to approach the skill or concept from a different angle. I also think that having the student try to "teach" you the skill or concept can be helpful for the student and the teacher.
How do you help students who are struggling with reading comprehension?
Questions and discussions. Sometimes, I will read a section to the student and then ask questions about it to see where the problems lie. I will also have students read to me and ask the questions. We will discuss words that might be a problem, moving on to the subject of a paragraph to make sure that the student is "comprehending". I will be making sure that I am using the student's experiences so that s/he understands and personalizes what s/he is reading.
What strategies have you found to be most successful when you start to work with a student?
I find it most helpful to talk to the student to see what s/he thinks and what s/he wants to get out of working with me. I also like to know what s/he likes so we can bring those areas into discussion or examples.
How would you help a student get excited/engaged with a subject that they are struggling in?
I'm going to try to help the student see a benefit to the subject; some way it will pay off for him or her to know more about it and to master it.
What techniques would you use to be sure that a student understands the material?
Questions, questions, questions. Usually a textbook has discussion questions that I will use to make sure s/he is understanding.
How do you build a student's confidence in a subject?
I think that the more successful a student is in a subject, the more that s/he knows and can demonstrate that knowledge, the more confidence s/he will have. I try to recognize a student's hard work and successes, and I find that a base of knowledge builds confidence.
How do you evaluate a student's needs?
Ask the student, review what the student does, and discuss with the parent. I cannot always tell when I first meet a student, but over time, I develop a rapport and understanding of the student and what his or her needs are.
How do you adapt your tutoring to the student's needs?
It really depends on the subject. I'm going to start by getting to know the student and his or her subject matter. For example, if a student thinks that s/he learns best by hearing something, I am going to possibly read it to him or her and ask questions. Eventually, the student may need to read it to himself or herself (for example) so that s/he is "hearing" it. Some students may need to read, some to watch movies or videos, etc. I find that out over time.
What types of materials do you typically use during a tutoring session?
Textbooks, other books, and the computer for research. I might suggest sites or videos.