What is your teaching philosophy?

My teaching philosophy is that each person has the potential to reach the stars. We just have to open that door to success!

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

Determine interests, needs, strengths and weaknesses to establish the student's path to great achievement.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

Independent learners reach success by following the lead of an accomplished teacher, not on their own. Model the skills and create a lifelong independent learner!

How would you help a student stay motivated?

Recognizing success is crucial to maintaining motivation! Sharing the impact of a learning weakness with my student tells them that I am in this quest for success as much as he/she is. Positivity is key.

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

There are many ways to break down a concept or skill. The trick is to use the method that my student responds to best. One without the other is a waste of time.

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

Modeling metacognition is the best method I know to increase comprehension. Being aware of what you are reading and what you are learning is crucial. Your first response to learning anything new should be to ask questions about the concept or topic. Asking "Why do you think....." is a great tool to increasing your knowledge and skill level. Without questions science would not exist.

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

Many students learn best when a difficult and off-putting concept is demonstrated to them in a medium they understand and can relate to.

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

Prompting a student with focused, open-ended questions is essential. Asking the student to reverse roles and teach me the concept is very effective for finding gaps in key learning goals.

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

Positivity and encouragement go a long way for a student who is frustrated. Starting with the student's strengths allows them to use the skills and knowledge they already have to achieve key concept goals.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

A student's needs change as they grow in depth of knowledge, skill and ability. Demonstrations of skill and knowledge are necessary and must be ongoing! As the student progresses, the needs become greater in certain areas and less in others. Being aware of this fact and changing the teaching methods and learning focus becomes critical to the student's success.

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

I use the latest AP lesson plans to provide practice for the exams. As a long term teacher I have many professional sources that I use to prepare my students for the rigors of these tests. I prefer to use literature and prose that my students have already read. The student is immediately familiar with the content and this provides a way to use concrete analysis techniques, build multiple choice proficiency and instill excellent writing skills for high-scoring essays.

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

Every student needs to create short term goals and long term goals. The student's short term objectives are addressed immediately. This includes having the student submit previous written work to me to determine the student's strengths and build upon them. Each person has a learning style that I look for that is crucial to success. A writing assignment represents the way a student thinks and how he/she communicates and comprehends complex ideas. Knowing a student's strengths increases the ability to succeed and meet goals quickly.

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

My students tend to make quick progress in understanding what they must do to meet their goals. I have the ability to mold my instruction to the needs of each unique student. As the student becomes more adept at using the strategies introduced and practiced, additional skill-building encourages the student to stretch and grow toward accomplishing the next goal. My job is to adapt the concepts and abilities to the student and provide increasingly challenging material.