Ruba N.

I firmly believe that success is attainable for everyone who puts in the work and perseveres. My number one goal is to make sure that students can fully grasp scientific concepts and can thus apply their acquired knowledge and skills when needed. My teaching philosophy is that nothing is impossible to understand but I know that every person is different and so I will go over the required content as many times as needed, and in various techniques giving examples, simplifying the ideas, and connecting concepts to daily experiences to make them clear, simple and part of the student's common knowledge.

In a typical first session, I would like to get to know the student's goals in the course or task at hand. I would also figure out their learning style and their course progress to the date of the session. I would share my strategies and thoughts and ideally, we would develop a plan that works for them. It would be preferred if I could get a sample of the student's most recent work or paper to be able to determine their standing.

To be an independent learner's students need to develop analytical and scientific thinking skills rather than depending on a tutor to present them with facts. The more curious and willing to learn new concepts and ideas the more independent and eventually more of a critical thinker would the student be. My goal is to show students how fun and fundamental life sciences and biological studies really are.

Seeing results is the best way to stay motivated. By earning the right set of skills, learning the correct way of thinking to approach scientific subjects, and eventually attaining their full potential, motivation comes naturally.

Different students require different teaching techniques. If a sill or concept is too difficult for a student to learn then a new teaching approach is needed. I see that adding examples, analogies, and trying to fit the ideas into everyday life examples helps students seize and understand new ideas.

Scientific materials demand reading comprehension and understanding. I believe that the key is to learn how to read terms ( understand what each suffix and prefix stand for) and how to break down and analyze words and statements in order to be able to understand and answer questions.

I would like to make sure that the student understands that I am working with them for their own benefit. There are no magical techniques, the student has to put in the work and has to expect my help and guidance. We need to set goals and celebrate milestones once we achieve them. Managing expectations, having realistic timelines and scheduling are keys to success.

I was a student not long ago and I know by experience that a positive attitude where a safe environment is available for students to express concerns, ask questions, and be comfortable can really help get and keep students engaged with subjects. As I mentioned before science is really fun, easy, and creative.

As a tutor I make sure to go over the subject from the beginning, trying to see where the student is facing difficulties and explaining even the most basic of concepts and then once the students are capable of explaining these concepts themselves, we can move on to more complex materials. Moreover, student self-assessment and regular evaluation of learned topics are necessary to guarantee that students fully comprehend various subjects.

Celebrating small wins, successes, and milestones and not sulking over setbacks potentially helps students to gain confidence in the given subject and materials. Students need to look at learning as a way of getting to view the world in the eyes of the subject they are discovering. Student engagement in the teaching-learning process is vital for building and maintaining student confidence.

I make sure to ask a lot of questions to be able to assess the true needs and requirements of students. I might ask students to send me previous work samples or just let them let me know where they are facing difficulties or trouble.

Focused and tailored instruction where students are taught skills and concepts in clear manners specific for each student as well as teacher modeling (providing a theoretical setting where this set of skills might be applied by me), giving examples, analogies, and giving the opportunity to apply and demonstrate those skills, as well as using questions and cues to ease the students into the thinking process, and making sure students feel safe to engage without being directly asked to and allowing their curiosity to wander.

Animations, videos, pictures, anecdotes, and anything that would engage the students' creative thinking space which would help root and secure the concepts given to students so that they could rely on and apply them whenever needed.