Reading, Writing and Math
Mathematics
While kids learn to count fairly easily, they can become confused as we build on that knowledge. They may have difficulties with the concepts of borrowing and carrying, for example, or the relationship between multiplication and division. When this happens, kids can develop a "fixed mindset," perhaps the biggest obstacle to success in math. A student with a fixed mindset is one that believes that math is beyond their grasp, that they will never 'get it.' The best way to turn from a fixed to a growth mindset is to inspire confidence by giving the student problems they can do, and build on that slowly and carefully, always checking for understanding. If your child is having difficulties getting to a growth mindset in math, I can help.
Reading
Reading is perhaps the most important skill to master in the elementary years. Learning to talk comes naturally, but very few of us learn to read that way. Most kids require teachers to teach them how to read. While recent decades have seen controversies over the best way to do that, the Science of Reading has led to a consensus: kids learn to read through word recognition and language comprehension, and there are best practices in teaching these.
Word recognition is the ability to connect the squiggles on the page with the sound of words, to decode the letters /b/ /a/ /t/ into the word 'bat', for example. This is best achieved through the systematic teaching of phonics. If your child is having difficulties decoding the written word, I can help.
Language comprehension is knowing what those words and sentences mean. The most important factor in building comprehension is building background knowledge. We are much more likely to understand a text when we already know something about the subject matter. Building background knowledge is more important than teaching "strategies" such as identifying the author's purpose or the main idea of a text.
If your child is having difficulties with understanding the written word, I can help.
Writing
Writing can be hard, but again there are best practices in teaching it. The most effective strategy is to have students write as part of their immersion in a unit of knowledge-building. Writing and content knowledge are intimately related; you can’t write well about something you don’t know well. Teaching good writing in the elementary school years, starting with how to write a good sentence, is key to later success writing essays and term papers. If your child is having difficulties with constructing the written word, I can help.
The Role of the Tutor
I see the role of a tutor as building on what the student is learning at school but is having difficulties with. Through the use of best practices, patience, and enthusiasm, I, as a tutor, can use incremental successes to instill confidence and excitement in my students, so they can do better in school, and enjoy learning more.