
Vicky: Edinburgh tutor
Certified Tutor
Undergraduate Degree: Pace University-New York - Bachelors, Professional Studies
Graduate Degree: Hofstra University - Masters, Education
Chess, Piano, Ornithology
Accompaniment
Adult Literacy
Art
CLEP Prep
CLEP Introductory Sociology
Composition
Elementary School
Elementary School English
Elementary School Math
Elementary School Reading
Elementary School Writing
Fiction Writing
Handwriting
Introduction to Fiction
ISEE Prep
ISEE-Lower Level Reading Comprehension
ISEE-Lower Level Verbal Reasoning
ISEE-Middle Level Reading Comprehension
ISEE-Middle Level Verbal Reasoning
ISEE-Upper Level Verbal Reasoning
Middle School English
Middle School Reading
Middle School Reading Comprehension
Middle School Writing
Music
Music Theory
Other
Piano
Poetry
PRAXIS
PRAXIS Elementary School
Professional Certifications
Vocal Training
What is your teaching philosophy?
My philosophy of education centers on the firm belief that it is essential for me to know and connect with every student, and to let them be aware that their unique identity is an integral and active part of our classroom, which must be a welcoming and safe environment for all. I know that each child can learn through varied portals about different subjects. I incorporate a number of slants into lessons in order to engage more than one learning style. Modeling procedures, and allowing students to construct their own knowledge, are fundamental elements of a successful lesson. In addition, students should feel encouraged, cared for and valued while being led to learn. I find an ongoing personal fulfillment in seeing that my students love learning, and I know there is no more important position than that of being a responsible and caring educator.
What might you do in a typical first session with a student?
The first session would start with sharing mutual introductions, and finding a connection of sorts in order for the student to feel at ease with me for the time ahead. Next, I would ask for a clarification of what the student wants to get out of our time together. It is important to first set goals for sessions, and then to revisit them at the end to close the lesson.
How would you help a student get excited/engaged with a subject that they are struggling in?
Facilitating students to make real-world connections with a subject is a proven way to motivate them and increases engagement and learning.
How do you help students who are struggling with reading comprehension?
It is important for me to ascertain at what level of understanding the student is already reading, and then I would ask tiered text-dependent questions based on Bloom's Taxonomy or Depths of Knowledge. With support, I help students gain confidence in finding these answers in a text. Helping students to locate keywords or synonyms from the questions and to create images based on text noticeably increases reading comprehension and inferencing. Teaching my students great strategies to use when answering multiple-choice questions also boosts their scores.
How would you help a student stay motivated?
Some of the most successful ways to help a student to stay motivated include positive reinforcement in way of specific praise; making connections between the work at hand with the student's life, the student's interests, offering real-world applications, and by substituting the student's own name and setting into the passages or problems whenever possible.