What is your teaching philosophy?

They say practice makes perfect, but I would add that context makes perfect too. At the most basic level almost everything we know about the natural world boils down to a few basic concepts. Memorization serves a purpose, but it is contextualization that promotes true learning and retention.

What might you do in a typical first session with a student?

A first session with a student will have four parts: Introduction, Assessment, Planning, and Demonstration. It's important to get to know the student as an individual with strengths, weaknesses, and goals. Letting the student show what they are already capable of and building upon their existing foundation will allow us to come up with a plan of attack so every session we can jump right into the action. The most important thing I can do as a tutor is to make myself obsolete by passing on study techniques and skills that will increase the student's ability to work independently.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

Independence comes from confidence and confidence comes from preparedness. Students should never encounter a problem they don't know how to begin to address. There is always a way to create a plan and break down larger tasks into manageable sections. Independence is all in the willingness to take the first step.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

The best way to help students stay motivated is to develop goal oriented thinking. Students need to have and move towards discrete, incremental, achievable goals.

If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, what would you do?

When a student has difficulty there are three things to do: address the student as a person and approach the stress directly, identify where the breakdown lies and make sure the student understands the context and underlying concepts, and try approaching the problem from a different angle. Sometimes the best solution is to set the problem aside and come back later rather than "grinding the gears" when we could instead be productive on something else.

What techniques would you use to be sure that a student understands the material?

One of the best ways to learn material is for students to come up with quiz materials like digital or physical flash cards, quizzes, and practice questions. What's really important is that they understand the concepts on a fundamental level so that they could teach them to someone else.

How do you build a student's confidence in a subject?

Rather than show the student how I do a problem, it is important for the student to take steps on their own. My job is just to give reminders when they start steering off course. It's always important to remind students not only that they can succeed, but that they will.

How do you adapt your tutoring to the student's needs?

Students can have a variety of learning styles. The technique that works for one student may not work for another. So for each topic a number of strategies can be employed: mnemonics, charts and diagrams, and even rote are just a few strategies that can help students move through difficult topics.

What types of materials do you typically use during a tutoring session?

While one of the most tried and true methods of instruction occurs with pen and paper, digital resources have immense potential for self-teaching. By using a combination of both students get the best of both worlds.

How do you help students who are struggling with reading comprehension?

One of the first roadblocks students encounter with difficult subjects is language. Fortunately most of the vocabulary can be broken down by simple language rules. By pointing out word patterns, Latin roots, etc., and practicing with the vocabulary students will feel more confident approaching difficult language

How would you help a student get excited/engaged with a subject that they are struggling in?

Ideally there is always a way for students to become fascinated with their studies. When that fails working with students to set up a reward system for themselves is a great way to stay motivated. Once incremental study rewards pay off by success in school, the successes become self-sustaining!

What strategies have you found to be most successful when you start to work with a student?

Organization. Student's need structure with incremental goals so that they can measure their progress. So the first step is to create a plan and set up an organizational system for them to follow.