Our Teaching & Tutoring Philosophy
Our role as the teacher and tutor is to be the manager and director of communication, education, and collaborator of all resources. It is really important to know that everyone has different learning and communication styles.
Learning Styles
Initially, our team would see if there are counseling reports to provide a glimpse into the learning styles of our students. In order to get a solid approach to the students, we would work closely with general education teachers OT, PT, speech, and SPED. We also want to know the student’s strengths and areas of weakness, as well as, we want to know who are visual learners, kinesthetic ones, auditory ones, and ones who need written instruction.
With that information, we have a variety of learning tools for the students. Some of these tools would break down concepts into small bite size pieces, using hands-on activities for science and using a great amount of visual aids ie.charts, worksheets, drawings, and of course videos and films. Our team knows that a large amount of work is done at different levels on the Chromebooks. We would assess the level of each student so that their computer work would be at an appropriate level and challenging for their skill set. For reading, we have materials at different levels and use more basic language for hard contexts and vocabulary. As a student advances, we may offer regular assistance or 1:1 until they feel confident with their work.
Expectations
The student must know the daily expectations of their role. We always write the daily schedule on the board so that it is clear how the day should progress. We wish to present engaging and relevant lessons so that students do not get bored or
dysregulated. We can add some lessons on emotional concepts such as smart decision making, empathy, and self regulation. This would allow the students to know what behaviors are expected at school. This is really key.
Our team does not believe that a punitive teacher is a good example of an excellent educator. We want to acknowledge students for showing good behavior and reward them for their positive actions. For example, when we taught summer school at White Hill, we gave out tokens for positive behavior on a regular basis. At the end of the week, the students could turn in some praise tokens for a book, or toy or small item. This positive reinforcement showed them how to prepare for success. As we believe “We want to catch them doing something good and praise them for that.”
"Lawrence Wollin brings a rare combination of empathy, professionalism, and instructional expertise to his tutoring services. With a warm and approachable style, he builds strong, trusting relationships with students, helping them grow in confidence and skill."
Will Anderson
Principal, Lucas Valley Elementary School
"Mr. Wollin is one of the most positive, most thoughtful and caring individuals that I have ever worked
with. Lawrence’s seeming unlimited supply of compassion, kindness and understanding is genuine, and quite
impressive. He has shown an unwavering dedication to his students and fellow staff members. I highly
recommend him."
Michael Lovejoy
Marin County Office of Education
"Georgia is an exceptional bilingual educator. She fosters a supportive atmosphere where students feel confident to explore. Her passion for language acquisition is truly inspiring. My child has thrived under her guidance, not only improving their French and English skills but also developing a deeper appreciation for cultural diversity."
Marianne
Fairfax