My teaching philosophy, in one word, would be simplification. Many students become disillusioned with different topics simply because they view the concepts as more complex than they actually are.

Once you bring a problem down from a complicated pedestal and approach it through its fundamentals or through real-life applications, it becomes much easier to grasp. Through this approach, I have witnessed many 'aha' moments from my students; something I take great pleasure in. I am extremely confident in my ability to reproduce these results consistently.

Typically, I would treat much of the first session as somewhat of a diagnostic.

I would attempt to find out what learning methods have worked best for the student in the past, what subjects they excelled in, and in which subjects they struggled. I would also do my best to glean the reasons for the answers given.

I would also take steps to assure the student that his/her true understanding of the subject was my personal goal, not just the imparting of information.

I believe the best way to help a student become an independent learner is to teach them to effectively recognize and correct the mistakes they make in their learning method as a whole.

For example, some students learn best by attempting problems and then reading the text of the relevant subject, while other students internalize concepts more efficiently by doing the reverse.

Teaching them to identify when they stray from the method that serves them best across subjects makes this self-diagnostic tool transferable from subject to subject.

I would help a student stay motivated by continuously reminding them of the end goal of the learning. In general, many give up on their goals because they lose sight of the reason they started in the first place, especially when things get difficult

So, whether it be admission to their top choice of colleges or hopes of making a career out of the relevant knowledge, an unmotivated student needs to be reminded of the reasons they want to succeed

I am a strong believer in the power of practice, so I would build a student's confidence by having them do practice problems. I honestly believe this is the only way to build true confidence and understanding.

An example I like to use is the thought that: One can study how to shoot a basketball for a year, but your first shot will probably still not go in. The only way to build up confidence would be to get on the court and shoot more!

I start by gauging the student's aptitude in the current subject. I follow that up by identifying any problem areas that might need extra time to be worked on.

I have found that the best way to get a student excited about a subject is to relate the subject to one of the student's interests. No matter how separate two topics may seem, there is almost always a way to associate one with the other. In doing so, you are also increasing the subject's appeal to the student.

Practice questions. I would never feel comfortable with a student's aptitude in a topic unless the student showed that they could consistently answer questions about the topic.

The choice of question is also extremely important. I do not view rote memorization as comprehension, so I would choose questions that test the student's true understanding and internalization of the topic.

Primarily, I would evaluate a student's needs by simply asking the student. Students are often very much aware of their learning needs, so to skip this step would be unwise.

I would also evaluate a student's needs by looking at the way the student arrives at an answer or where the student gets stuck in trying to find solutions to problems. This method often yields valuable clues as to where a student's stumbling blocks are.

In a typical session, my materials would include a pen, pencil, calculator, and a notepad.