Angela A.

First, I believe in celebrating prior knowledge in a student, along with mutual respect. I employ methodologies such as the flipped classroom and student-selected, project-based learning. Critical thinking skills are vital, in my opinion, for effective learning and inquiry. In my experience, this approach leads to deeper learning and more engagement from the student in any subject.

In a typical first lesson, I like to establish a rapport with the student and know the student. I am sensitive to time constraints and then determine if there are areas the student struggles with and address them. After establishing areas to work on and goals, I plan a curriculum that will achieve those goals. A multimodal approach includes some video, visual PowerPoint, and interactive practice of the material with assignments to reinforce what has been covered to be the most effective method.

This is truly important. I do this by having the student select some aspects of the learning experience and modeling good research and inquiry strategies that include critical evaluation of sources.

While I feel that a predictable class time structure is important, including interactivity in learning and the responsibility of student-selected content would help the student stay motivated.

There are many modalities to use. Timing is also key. I would not allow the struggle to linger too long to the point of frustration. It is important from the first meeting to ascertain the students’ learning style. I would also try alternately modeling the skill and using analogies. With mutual trust and respect from teacher and student, the journey is made together.

When a student struggles with reading comprehension, I don’t have them read out loud too much. I may read out loud, so the student hears me, but the act of reading aloud is distinct from comprehension. I also ask comprehension questions early and often and employ other methods such as retelling. I have found these to be useful techniques for those struggling with reading comprehension.

Establishing rapport is important. The student needs to know that I care, which I do. I also very early involve the student in their own learning so that our time is not just a passive experience of watching me read off a PowerPoint. If the student knows that he/she will be expected to contribute early and often, but in a welcoming, low-stress environment, I believe the student can quickly see improvement.

To start with, we both need to meet halfway. The student needs to be willing to focus on areas that are challenging. Small successes will lead to larger ones, and in turn, this will help the student go from struggling to mastery. The confidence and feeling of accomplishment from this is one I have witnessed and one of the most rewarding aspects of teaching.

I ask frequent questions that include a retelling of what was covered. Early intervention is best to make sure the student comprehends the text and concepts. Homework should strengthen comprehension of the material. The student needs to understand why he/she is studying the material and how it is relevant to them.

I build confidence by having the student do the work in front of me. While at first, it might be challenging if they are not used to it, there is nothing like seeing themselves demonstrate competence. This leads to increased confidence, which also spills into other subjects.

This depends on the subject, but comprehension, critical thinking, and analytical skills work across the curriculum. For example, for a language arts subject, after speaking with the student, a short first-day writing assignment gives me the insight needed to assess these skills and grammar and mechanics.

First, I do not shy away from areas the student needs to work on. But I do try to build around strengths. My approach as a tutor has always been to customize the learning experience while checking those goals, milestones, and objectives are being met.

There are several websites I like to use for Spanish and English fluency. I also like to use visual PowerPoints that I share with the student and custom worksheets on the topic being addressed. If the student is comfortable using Google Docs or Slides, I like to work interactively with the student as I feel this technique closely mirrors a face-to-face experience.