What is your teaching philosophy?

When I decided to be a teacher I was in 5th grade, this was because my teacher showed me how one person can change the way someone wants to learn and their desire to learn. This is what I want to do as a teacher. I plan to do this by showing the students I teach how much they can accomplish if they put their minds and motivation towards completing school. Even by completing one assignment in school to the best of their ability, it can be enough to motivate the student to go on and use this motivation they found towards other aspects of their life. I want to empower the students' young minds to think for themselves and for them to know that they can accomplish what they set out to do. All of this can be done through teaching. In order to get a student to want to think for their self, you have to instill the ability for critical thinking in their minds. To be able to do this, I will make sure to have a lot more discussions in class and writing assignments where the students will have to use their critical thinking skills to answer the questions given to them by myself. By giving the students more opportunities to use their critical thinking skills in the classroom, they will be more likely to use them outside of the classroom with real world situations. I also want to create an environment where the students in my classroom want to learn, and they can use their own personal experiences to teach the class what they already know as well. Many students have their own stories to tell and own experiences that have made them think the way they do; this is important to a classroom as a whole because the classroom will be more diverse. I want to teach my students that using their personal experiences when writing or learning can help them get ahead intellectually. Incorporating peer reviews with paper assignments is a good way for me to achieve this as well. The students will be able to help their peers by giving them their own insight in each other’s papers. Teaching students to be able to think for themselves critically and effectively in both reading and writing is what I want to strive to do as an instructor. Every job requires you to think for yourself, as well as any situation you face in life. Preparing students to be able to do this is a very important step I want to take when teaching students.

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

In a typical first session, I would want to ask the student different questions about the way they prefer to learn. I would also make sure to ask questions about what specifically they need help on, and then tell them ways I believe I could help them. This way the student can have a heads up on what is to come in the other tutoring sessions. I would also allow the student to ask me whatever questions they feel are needed to be answered.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

Help the student learn/make up their own problem solving techniques for them to try before having to ask for help from someone else.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

To help a student stay motivated, I would come up with a rewards system for them. For example, if I was working with an elementary student, you might tell them if they work hard for a certain amount of time they can take a break and play a quick game before getting back to work. This could also work with other age groups as well. I would also talk to the student and let them know that if they do well in school, they will be able to see the benefits in the long run, this especially when working with older students. Stressing how good grades in high school will get them into a better college, or good grades in college will help them have an easier time in school and will be able to get internships/jobs easier.