Joseph
Certified Tutor
Undergraduate Degree: University of Kansas - Current Undergrad, German
Backpacking, Hiking, Rock Climbing, All things German!
What is your teaching philosophy?
One-on-one instruction!
What might you do in a typical first session with a student?
Get to know their style of learning and analyze what level they may be at.
How can you help a student become an independent learner?
Creating a schedule of assignments and "what to study" so that the student comes to tutoring prepared and with questions.
How would you help a student stay motivated?
Hone their interest in subject matter that is relevant and engaging.
If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, what would you do?
Slow down, and break it down into digestible, small chunks of information that the student can then reconstruct into understanding the entire concept.
How do you help students who are struggling with reading comprehension?
Encourage them to keep going- everyone struggles with learning a new concept, especially a foreign language, and encouraging the use of that language is part of comprehension.
What strategies have you found to be most successful when you start to work with a student?
Physically demonstrating or further breaking down a complex issue has helped me in the past, and I'm sure it will help other learners as well.
How would you help a student get excited/engaged with a subject that they are struggling in?
Encouragement is the name of the game!
What techniques would you use to be sure that a student understands the material?
Review quizzes at the end of a review session.
How do you build a student's confidence in a subject?
By ensuring they understand the basic concepts (for example, grammar in a foreign language) before tackling the big issue (like learning to speak that foreign language fluently), students can be self-confident in tackling any objective they set their minds to.
How do you evaluate a student's needs?
First impressions are not always representative of a student's ability or knowledge of a subject. Review sessions are more likely to evaluate the areas in which a student may be lacking or excelling.
How do you adapt your tutoring to the student's needs?
Every student has their own independent personality. Tailoring my teaching style to accommodate all types of learning styles is the name of the game!
What types of materials do you typically use during a tutoring session?
A pen, paper, and a laptop!