What is your teaching philosophy?

I believe that all students learn in different ways, and learning needs to be tailored to the specific need of the student. I do try to use as much hands-on learning as possible.

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

I would do a "get to know you" activity so I could get a feel for their learning style and how to best meet their needs during our time together.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

The best way is to model. I use the I do, we do, and you do model. I will show them a concept, then we will practice the concept together, and lastly they will do it independently. Positive feedback will also help build their independent confidence.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

Positive reinforcements are a great way to keep students motivated. I also like to do a fun educational activity or game the last 10-15 minutes depending on how well they have worked during their session.

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

Practice! I would look at the concept step by step and figure out where they are having trouble. Then, we would practice more problems focusing on the area of need. We would then move on to completing the rest of the concept once they have mastered the part they were struggling with.

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

I use a lot of stretching and shirking activities with words to help with fluency. When reading I like to use UNRAVEL - underline the title, number the paragraphs, read the questions, are you circling the important words?, verify the answers, eliminate wrong answers, and look at pictures and captions. This helps students make sure they find the answer in the text.

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

I think getting to know each student's needs and how they learn in the most successful way. Incorporating their learning style with other styles is how I like to start when I work with a student.

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

You have to build their confidence. I find little successes that allow the student to see that they can be successful. Making the learning hands-on and active is another way to keep students engaged.

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

I like to do little formative checks along the way to see if they understand the material. If they do not, then we go back and continue to work on the material.

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

You build confidence through little wins. When a student accomplishes something, then praise the student.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

I evaluate a student's needs through what the parents say, the teachers say, and what I see in the first session.

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

Every student is different and all learning looks different, so depending on the student, the activities will look different. Some might have more independent components and others might be us going through the process together.

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

It depends on if I am helping with math, reading and the grade level. I have a lot of hands-on activities for reading and math. I use counters, cubes, ten frames, fraction bars, etc. In reading, I use counters and cubes to see sounds in words, and picture cards as well.