I am a college graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science and a Bachelor of Arts in Integrative Studies with a focus on Spanish, History, and Political Science. I also have a minor in Linguistics. I currently work for the City of Austin as a planner. I spent two years as a supplemental instructor, where I helped college-aged students review complex chemistry topics through engaging and simple activities. Through the university's tutoring program, I hosted three, one-hour...
I am a college graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science and a Bachelor of Arts in Integrative Studies with a focus on Spanish, History, and Political Science. I also have a minor in Linguistics. I currently work for the City of Austin as a planner. I spent two years as a supplemental instructor, where I helped college-aged students review complex chemistry topics through engaging and simple activities. Through the university's tutoring program, I hosted three, one-hour tutoring sessions per week, in addition to a weekly hour-long professional development session for the tutors themselves.
Adaptability in this job was essential. The tutoring sessions varied in size throughout the academic year; sometimes I only had one student, and sometimes I had ten students. In addition, I had to accommodate for different students' learning styles. I incorporated visual, audio, tactile, and kinesthetic stimuli to keep students engaged. I believe that the best way for students to learn is from one another, which is why I always tried to keep student participation at a maximum.
My approach was always to try to be a facilitator of learning, rather than just a regurgitator of information. Guiding students to the correct answer by having them recall and utilize the information they learned in class (and assisting them with the gaps in their knowledge), leaves the students feeling confident and prepared. I also made it a priority to emphasize peer-to-peer learning. The students in my sessions often varied in their understanding of the course content. In every session, I looked to the students with an already good-to-excellent understanding of the content to reinforce their understanding by helping out the students who were a bit behind. This was a win-win for both parties and often led to the forging of interpersonal relationships and academic alliances.
