Melissa
Certified Tutor
No two people are alike, so there is no blanket approach to teach. I want to make my lessons fun and engaging, but also be excited about the lesson so that students can also be excited about the subject. I want my students to do the thinking, instead of telling them what they should know. Objectives are stickier stickier when the lesson is something that the student can relate to. I am no-nonsense, but I also want to make sure that my studI meet the needs of my students and continuously modify the objectives based on their mastery.
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Undergraduate Degree: University of Houston - Bachelors, Political Science and Government
Reading, science, YouTube, blogging, traveling, hiking, Foodie, learning, personal growth
- Adult ESL/ELL
- Adult Literacy
- Arithmetic
- College English
- College Geography
- College Political Science
- Conversational Spanish
- Elementary Math
- Elementary School English
- Elementary School Math
- Elementary School Reading
- Elementary School Science
- Elementary School Writing
- Elementary Social Studies
- English
- English Language Arts Substitute
- ESL/ELL
- Geography
- German
- German 1
- High School English
- High School Geography
- History
- IB Global Politics
- ISEE Prep
- ISEE- Lower Level
- Math
- Math Substitute
- Middle School English
- Middle School Math
- Middle School Reading
- Other
- Phonics
- Political Science
- Pre-Algebra
- Reading
- Religion
- Science
- Social Sciences
- Social Studies
- Spanish 1
- Spanish 2
- Spelling Bee
- SSAT Prep
- SSAT- Elementary Level
- STAAR Prep
- STAAR EOC Prep
- Substitute
- Summer
- Test Prep
- UK A Level Prep
- UK A Level Politics
- World Civilization
- World Religions
- Writing
What is your teaching philosophy?
A student is the best teacher. I know they have mastered the concept if they can explain it to me.
What might you do in a typical first session with a student?
Get to know the student. Every person has a different learning style and I want to see what methods click with him or her fastest.
How can you help a student become an independent learner?
By having them DO the thinking rather than have them listen to me the whole session.
How would you help a student stay motivated?
Making learning fun. There is no one path to understanding. It also makes the learning objective stick to their minds better.
If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, what would you do?
Try to see if they are a visual learner or do best with explanations. Come up with lessons that will help me scaffold them to come up with their own conclusion.
How do you help students who are struggling with reading comprehension?
Break it down to the basics. Have them start small with a basic story, and then have them relate it to other longer stories that are similar. Depends on what they struggle with the most.
What strategies have you found to be most successful when you start to work with a student?
It is best to relate to them. They will be most confident if they are comfortable around you. It is vital to give them a confidence to not only understand and give them the right answers, but to give them the confidence to make errors.
How would you help a student get excited/engaged with a subject that they are struggling in?
Find out what their interests are. They are more likely to be engaged if you relate the lesson with something that they know. It also gives that extra effort as a teacher/tutor to try and get to know them a little better.
What techniques would you use to be sure that a student understands the material?
Scaffolding, have them show me what they know, and even have them come up with their own questions to quiz me.
How do you build a student's confidence in a subject?
Let them know that it is ok to make errors, so long as we get to the goal of the lesson.
How do you evaluate a student's needs?
Evaluate what kind of learner they are. There is no one way to teach everyone, and I will do my best to come up with a fun, engaging approach to see what they need the most help on.
What types of materials do you typically use during a tutoring session?
Depends on the subject. If it's math, I like using manipulatives or have them use a variety of white boards or things they can make. For reading, I like to use simple tools that yield data to help me modify the next session.