What is your teaching philosophy?

My teaching philosophy is based on the Socratic method: namely, I try to help the student discover the subject for themselves versus me simply giving them the answers. I like to ask leading questions that allow the student to critically think about topics and come to the correct answer in a more natural fashion than simply "being told" how to do a problem.

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

First and foremost, I try to gauge as best as possible who the student is, what type of a person they are, and how best I should approach teaching in their particular circumstance. One of the ways I do this is by asking them to tell me about the class, how they feel about the subject, and a little about their own background in school/that particular subject.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

One of the core tenets of my teaching style is to teach students broadly applicable skills that allow them to succeed in school and in life generally, not just that particular subject. Students will forget the majority of the facts and figures they learn in a given class, however study skills and the proper way to approach different subjects stay with a student for much longer.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

I like to tell students anecdotes about my own struggles with much of the material I teach. Once a student learns how to properly think about a given subject, much of the frustration and difficulty tends to melt away as the student can rely on logic and reasoning skills to figure out an answer as opposed to rote memorization.

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

In my opinion, the best thing for a teacher or tutor to do is to teach the student how to think about a given subject. Once a student understands the rules of the game, suddenly it becomes much easier.