Since teaching my first high school science classes in the fall of 2010, I have found that the most rewarding moments happen when working with students individually or in small groups. The content in high school science classes is often thick with new terms and abstract ideas, and each of my students seems to have a unique set of needs in order to really understand the key concepts. As a result, much of my effort as a teacher goes into finding what works for my students and providing lessons that are tailored to their many different learning styles. In my current classes, I use guided note taking, carefully selected readings, coloring and labeling of figures, writing prompts, hands-on modeling, lab activities, and demonstrations in partnership with technology to retain my students' interest and keep them engaged. My experience has showed me that when one of these different teaching tools works with a particular student, and I have the opportunity to chat with that student one on one to answer questions without the attention of the entire class directed at him or her, more progress can be made in ten minutes than was made the previous two weeks. Knowing this, I am very excited about the possibility of working with students individually as a tutor.
My own educational background includes an undergraduate degree in biology from Harvard in 2009 and a Masters in Teaching from Simmons College in 2011. I have taught biology, DNA Science, chemistry and anatomy classes at the high school level, and would be eager to help any high school student achieve at a high level in these subjects.
As a tutor, my first priorities would be to build a positive working relationship with the student, determine the learning style or preferences of the student, and allow the student to build confidence by mastering the basics. Then, we would tackle the weekly challenges, topics, tests and projects as they occur, while also strengthening study habits and other helpful learning skills or techniques.
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