What is your teaching philosophy?

My recipe is: patience, kindness, repetition, and linking new information to concepts that are already comfortably familiar to you, the student.

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

I learn their goals and the challenges that they have had in meeting their goals so far. I identify how they learn best: especially if their learning style is visual, auditory, kinesthetic, or literary. I also focus on building a fun and supportive relationship with them.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

I use motivation and encouragement to help the student to become more connected to what they are studying. When I find ways to make the material interesting and fun for them, they are inspired to make a lot of progress on their own as well.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

I use a lot of praise, make a lot of jokes, and create a contagious passion for what we are studying.

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

It is best to find multiple ways of explain the same thing. For example, relate it to something they already know well, draw diagrams and funny pictures about it, or work on understanding pieces of it until the big idea becomes more clear.

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

We break what we are reading into smaller pieces. We find the pieces that are clear and unclear. We break the unclear pieces into even smaller pieces if needed.

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

The more enthusiasm I show for what we are studying, the more enthusiasm I see my student show for it as well. When we both have that enthusiasm, right from the beginning, our work together is stellar.

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

I make a lot of jokes throughout our lesson, and I draw funny pictures about concepts that are difficult or not interesting to them. It works every time.

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

I always ask them to explain what we have just learned together. Then, after doing a few more tasks together, I will ask them again to repeat what we learned previously. Also, I often ask them how our later tasks have related to what we learned previously. This makes their understanding very solid.

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

I show a lot of enthusiasm for being with them and for studying with them. I give praise often, and I am very specific about the things that they are doing very well in each session.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

During our first few sessions, I determine if the student is right-brain or left-brain predominated. I then further determine if the student is a visual, auditory, kinesthetic, or literary learner. This will influence the style of how we work together.

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

I learn the interests and lifestyle of the student. I always relate the material to their own life.

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

I use our textbooks, an erasable white board, and often digital photos and videos. I also use music when it is a foreign language session.