Erica

I start with a basic rapport-building session to help students become comfortable and confident in communicating their learning needs to me. I use textbooks for theoretical knowledge as per usual but I help students build their practical command over the subject by encouraging conversation, using analogies and examples from our personal experiences to make the content more relatable, encouraging creative outlet through writing and editing literature, and recommending relevant media to build interest. The focus of my lessons is entirely on how each individual student learns and why they want to learn so that they don't lose sight of their long-term goals in the midst of academic pressures and deadlines. I also like to design quizzes and tests in unconventional formats, (only) for students who show interest in such resources as it helps me get a grasp of how much they are learning without giving them the stress of being tested on their skills over and over again. Similarly, I give unconventional, personalised homework and never force students to complete it or reprimand them for not doing it. I see mistakes as an important learning tool and not as the failure to learn because most students I have worked with in the past have shown incredible improvement after being able to understand their mistakes instead of being reprimanded for them.
I teach online because as an Autistic person it is daunting to meet new people and the barrier created by the screen can be comforting for many neurodivergent and anxious students, allowing more genuine and unrestricted communication.