Certified Tutor
Undergraduate Degree: SUNY Oswego - Current Undergrad, Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages
I enjoy baking, cooking, reading books, playing the piano and learning the ukulele. I also enjoy being creative in my spare time so I like to paint, decorate cakes, and other DIY projects.
What is your teaching philosophy?
I believe in hard work and determination. I believe that if a student is willing to put in effort, they will be able to reach the level of education they desire. I think each student is different and everyone varies in their learning style. Therefore, as a tutor and a future educator I think it is important to incorporate the students' individual strengths and weaknesses in my teaching style.
What might you do in a typical first session with a student?
It is important for me to get to know a student, so I would try to find out a little about what kind of learning the student prefers. I would try out a few learning activities to see which style the student prefers so that I know how to approach future sessions.
How can you help a student become an independent learner?
By allowing a student to set their own goals and then achieve them, I can help a student become an independent learner. When they learn that they can achieve their own goals, it will give them a level of confidence they need in order to be an independent learner.
How would you help a student stay motivated?
I would help a student stay motivated by goal-setting. There shouldn't just one overall goal, because it might be tough trying to imagine reaching something that seems so far away. I think if a student can imagine what they want to achieve over a certain period of time, then they can take small steps to achieve their goals along the way.
If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, what would you do?
I would just slow down and take it one step at a time. Usually when something is tough it helps to just begin focusing on smaller parts or on easier tasks and becoming proficient in the easier tasks before advancing on to tougher ones. It also just helps to slow down and focus on the concept for a bit longer and just keep going over it until it makes more sense.
How do you help students who are struggling with reading comprehension?
I would just focus on practicing reading. I would allow the students to choose a book they want to read and let them read it. I would focus on books of the level of what the student is capable of, not necessarily the actual grade level of that student.