Philosophy
Learners are complex creatures who need many different elements to fall into place for them, sometimes at different times, in different ways or words and in different orders. Whether it is about meeting their learning preferences, explaining a concept in a new way, identifying if big picture to detail or detail to big picture makes more sense to them or providing flipped learning environments, all students can achieve in the right set of circumstances.
Learners are complex creatures who need many different elements to fall into place for them, sometimes at different times, in different ways or words and in different orders. Whether it is about meeting their learning preferences, explaining a concept in a new way, identifying if big picture to detail or detail to big picture makes more sense to them or providing flipped learning environments, all students can achieve in the right set of circumstances.
One thing I have learnt in my time as a teacher, tutor and counsellor is that all students, big and small, novice or experienced, benefit from basic elements to support their capacity to learn. These include mindfulness skills, movement breaks, deliberate development of self efficacy and structured support around executive function skills. Very few people possess these naturally and schools and teachers can be woefully overloaded with curriculum content and struggle to fit these essential elements into the days available.
In my early years of teaching and tutoring I too left these things out. What I noticed over time, however, was that this was at my peril. Just when I thought my students and I were making breakthroughs and ready to succeed at some task or other we hit a roadblock and stumbled. Sometimes getting back up and over was quick and other times we were down for the count. In all situations, fast or slow, everything stopped while we worked through stress reduction techniques, self efficacy improvements and strengthening of executive function skills.
Eventually, it became clear to me that this was less than ideal. If I looked at our 60 minutes together each day and structured it to incorporate teaching and support in these elements, students would have the skills they so desperately required and those roadblocks, while always around and frustrating, no longer threw everything and everyone off balance and out of whack.
For this reason, Carolyn Prince – Teacher & Tutor operates on the principle that all services must include explicit and implicit teaching and support of these elements. Because taking 5 minutes to focus on breathing or find Waldo, understanding concepts of Growth Mindset and The Learning Pit through brief activities and intentionally drafting study and homework plans are NOT about wasting time or removing focus from primary needs. Rather it is about supporting students to optimise their learning so that MORE time and energy can be spend on the primary need instead of wasted on stress, confusion and despair.
Who is Carolyn?
Carolyn Prince has a Bachelor of Arts (Literature Major) and Bachelor of Education (Secondary – 5th-12th Grades – English and Study of Society and the Environment) from Griffith University in Queensland Australia.
In addition, she has completed a Masters of Education – School Guidance and Counseling through The Queensland University of Technology in Queensland, Australia and is currently working on a research project about gifted learners towards her Masters of Education Professional Studies Research (MEPSR) again through Griffith University.
Carolyn has also completed courses in Career Development Counselling, Adult Education, Gifted Education and Classroom Behaviour Management.
With 14 years of teaching in the Australian public school system and 6 years of private tutoring, along with extensive counselling experience with adolescents and adults (through middle and high schools, college and beyond), Carolyn has developed a variety of techniques and skills that allow her to identify individual needs, diagnose difficulties and provide effective intervention that leads to long term improvement, particularly in academic arenas.
Carolyn is currently located in Colorado, USA, and appreciates the flexibility provided by the internet with regards to her ability to support students and families who can benefit from her services, regardless of their location. She is excited about her first real journey into being self-employed and running her own business around the needs of her family, university studies and desire to explore her new environment!