My teaching philosophy is that there is potential in all students, and that it is the job of both the student and the tutor to bring out this potential. It is best to teach in ways that students both understand and enjoy. Thus, frequent use of examples and analogies are critical to making learning come alive.

During a first session with a student, I would do my best to assess areas of difficulty for the student by walking the student through a series of practice questions, if the student did not have questions of their own. Through a collaborative process, I would try to both find and address these areas of difficulty so as to make each future session worthwhile.

To help make a student an independent learner, a tutor should help show the student all the resources available in their related subjects as well as show the student how to properly use each resource. In addition to helping students learn to read through textbooks and simple internet resources, I would show the students proper techniques to independently learns including how to ask well-crafted questions and how to find the answers to these questions in the resources available to them.

In order to help a student stay motivated, I would encourage a collaborative spirit between the student and myself and would also keep the student on track with frequent benchmarks. By working together through problems, students will feel less lost, and by keeping track with benchmarks for learning, students can feel confident when they must perform in a test or other scenario.

If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, I would try to relate the skill or concept in a variety of ways in order to better address the student's individual learning style. From analogies to pictures and detailed walk-throughs, I would try my best to reinforce the particular skill until a student can properly relate to the skill on their own. This would help the student with mastery of the subject instead of having simple memorization.

In order to help students with reading comprehension, I find it important to have students read with a purpose. By having students read and have active participation after a reading session, students will soon learn what to look for when reading and will be able to become a better independent reader in general.

When I first start working with a student, I find it to be most successful to establish a proper rhythm for each tutoring session as well as to set a proper pace for learning. In these ways students and tutors can optimize their time both together and apart. Thus, setting time apart for asking questions and planning ahead is integral.

In order to help get a student excited about a subject they are in, I would try to eliminate any ideas of inability in addition to teaching students with applicable examples. By improving a student's confidence, the student will gradually begin to like a subject more and by relating the subject to real life examples, taking a class becomes more than just a barrier, but rather an enjoyable experience on their life journey.

In order to be sure a student understands the material, I would both ask the students questions throughout and at the end of tutoring sessions. In addition to asking the student questions for comprehension, I find it is also very important for a student to both explain to himself and others involved processes, and thus would encourage students to explain their thinking as they step through involved problems and processes.

In order to build a student's confidence in a subject, I would address areas of difficulty and step through problems with the student together until the student is ready to solve problems independently. In addition, I would praise students on what steps they are doing right so that they can feel more confident on their own.

In order to evaluate student's needs, I find it is important either to ask the student for questions that they might have or to work through related problems so as to find the particular areas of difficulty. In addition to these techniques, I find it is also incredibly important to find a student's preferred learning style, and thus would attempt to find this preferred style through constant interaction.

In order to adapt my tutoring to the student's needs, I find it very important to properly manage the time that is spent together so that questions may be asked as required or that I may work with the student through their areas of difficulty. I also try to best address a student's particular learning style, whether it be visual, auditory, or kinesthetic. I try to leave as much space for the student's preferred ways of learning, as there are no necessarily right ways to learn.

During a tutoring session, I typically try to use a mix of both internet and textbook resources. In addition to resources for information, I also try to show students techniques for using technology like calculators if applicable. By using the full extent of resources available, students will be better prepared for being on their own.