Erin
Certified Tutor
Reading and writing have interested me for as long as I can remember. My parents took us to the library every week to find new books and for story hour. I began writing my own creative fiction stories in 6th grade.
My love of discussing and writing about literature and other reading made majoring in English Education a perfect fit. At Bowling Green State University, I gained experience with academic essays by tutoring students through the Writing Center. I worked primarily with first-year students on argumentative essays, but sometimes had the opportunity to work with graduate students on research papers and with English as a Second Language students needing help applying grammar rules.
Since 2009, I've been teaching middle and high school Language Arts courses ranging from 6th grade reading through Senior Composition. I help my students to recognize the strengths they already have and use those strengths to improve other areas.
I am working toward a Master's Degree in English with a concentration in Rhetoric and Composition at Northern Kentucky University. This will position me to teach first-year composition courses at community and 2-year colleges. It has also provided me with more strategies for teaching writing.
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Undergraduate Degree: Bowling Green State University-Main Campus - Bachelors, Adolescent and Young Adult Language Arts
Graduate Degree: Northern Kentucky University - Current Grad Student, English
- ACCUPLACER Reading Comprehension
- ACCUPLACER Sentence Skills
- ACCUPLACER WritePlacer
- ACT English
- ACT Reading
- ACT Writing
- College English
- College Essays
- Comparative Literature
- English
- English Grammar and Syntax
- Essay Editing
- High School English
- Literature
- PSAT Critical Reading
- PSAT Writing Skills
- Reading
- SAT Reading
- SAT Writing and Language
- Test Prep
- Writing
What is your teaching philosophy?
Teaching is based on providing students with encouragement, resources, and practice. I believe every student has strengths that they can learn to harness and apply to areas where they may be struggling. My talks with students include frequent praise and recognition of both effort and work. The resources I can provide students are models for writing and access to interesting reading selections that can build their comprehension skills while entertaining them. Practice is integral to learning because everyone learns best by doing.
What might you do in a typical first session with a student?
In a first session, I will get to know the student's strengths and interests by asking questions. I'll answer any questions the student has about me or the work we'll be doing.
How can you help a student become an independent learner?
Reading is the key to independent learning. I can provide instruction and practice in successful reading strategies such as identifying important details and summarizing passages.
How would you help a student stay motivated?
Praise and recognition for both effort and work help with motivation. I will help a student to see how well he or she is doing. I will also help the student to build his or her own plan to achieve a goal he or she sets.
If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, what would you do?
I would offer even more opportunities for practice as well as models for the student to see different ways to approach the concept. Practice is key.
How do you help students who are struggling with reading comprehension?
Students struggling with reading comprehension tend to tell me they "don't like to read." I tell them that can't be true because they couldn't possibly have read everything there is to read. They only think they don't like reading, because they haven't yet read anything they've liked. I will help them find reading selections about things that interest them, starting at selections that are easy for them to read before moving into selections that are at or above their level.
What strategies have you found to be most successful when you start to work with a student?
Looking at models and letting the student ask questions are two successful strategies.
How would you help a student get excited/engaged with a subject that they are struggling in?
Any student can get excited about reading and writing when the content is about their personal interests.
What techniques would you use to be sure that a student understands the material?
I would ask multiple questions and follow up with clarification questions to help me assess a student's level of understanding in reading. In writing, I not only read the student's work but allow them to talk about their writing process.
How do you build a student's confidence in a subject?
Practice and praise. The more work you do, the more opportunities you have for success. I provide students those opportunities and praise every step toward their goal.
How do you evaluate a student's needs?
I have the student tell me what questions and concerns he or she has. If appropriate, I would use standardized test questions to evaluate reading comprehension or view a sample of the student's writing.
How do you adapt your tutoring to the student's needs?
I find multiple resources and let the student choose what to work with. I also let the student choose what goals to set for each session.
What types of materials do you typically use during a tutoring session?
The materials vary depending on the student's needs.