I am pretty animated, so first off I will say "When I talk, I use my hands a lot." I like to use pen and paper or an article that relates to the topic we are addressing; something new that is going on today that is relevant to something that they are going over in class. I use several examples of jumbled up sentences or scrambled sentences, missing one word or one grammar issue, and have them fix it. Tech-wise, the only social media I ever utilize is Pinterest, because I pin a lot of things like quotes and student-related stuff for study skills and learning how to jump a hurdle without lifting your legs for a metaphor.

What is your teaching philosophy?

"Too many people are driving by places and life and never enjoying the ride!"

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

Relate to the student; make yourself a PERSON, not just a tutor. I don't want my students to feel like "Oh great, I have to go see my tutor." I want them to be like "Hey, I get to learn WITH Cori today!"

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

Use questioning as scaffolding to independent learning. The aim here is a gradual, step-by-step transfer of responsibility from the teacher to the student. The teacher must develop effective classroom discourse, asking higher order, open-ended questions, and responding flexibly to students' responses to promote thinking, problem-solving skills and deeper understanding.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

Take a genuine interest in your students. Learn their hopes and dreams. Learn what they want to be when they grow up. Learn their idols, their childhood favorite memories, and their favorite places to eat. Knowing your student motivates your student, because it cultivates and creates an accountable relationship that you are going to hold them to their dreams and aspirations.

If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, what would you do?

I would try to figure out what they are struggling with and approach the concept from a direction that deals with that problem. Try to apply new/different practice methods, and try to get as many practices in as possible.

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

Make predictions Visualize Ask and answer questions Retell and summarize Connect the text to life experiences

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

Make yourself a PERSON; not just a tutor. I tell them about me and some of my experiences - mostly funny ones so I can get them to laugh. I tell them about my boys and how crazy they are. I make myself relatable.

How would you help a student get excited/engaged with a subject that they are struggling in?

1. Connect what you're teaching to real life 2. Use students' interests and fascinations 3. Give students choices 4. Present information in multiple formats 5. Teach students self-monitoring skills

What techniques would you use to be sure that a student understands the material?

Place new or important ideas in context to explain how they are used and why. Use concrete examples to show how theories work. Stress the relationship between new ideas and previous ones.

How do you build a student's confidence in a subject?

Give only genuine praise. If you provide empty praise, they will not feel as motivated to push themselves harder. Set realistic goals for each student. Recognize that every child is different and has different learning capabilities. Make goals realistically achievable so that children will feel a sense of accomplishment when the goal is completed. Don't make tasks too easy or too challenging. Show enthusiasm for the subject you are teaching and for your students' success. Students will become bored and apathetic if they sense that you are bored or distracted. If you are enthusiastic about your students' success, your students will also be more motivated to achieve their goals.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

Listen, learn, repeat. The best thing you can do here is to really listen. Tune out everything else, close your eyes, and listen to your student-- the pace of they are talking in; is their breathing fast or slow; does it sound panicky or stressed? Once you hear all these things, you sit back and tell them you understand, and then you illuminate the issue, educate the need and evaluate the retention.

How do you adapt your tutoring to the student's needs?

With patience and the ability to adapt to students' individual needs. No two students are the same, so a great tutor needs to be able to change their teaching style with each new student.

Connect with a tutor like Cori