What is your teaching philosophy?

Multiple studies have shown that they key to retaining and understanding information is repetition. I practice a layered approach to teaching, from introduction, to reinforcement, to practice, to mastery. This approach relies heavily on the student taking an active role in learning, with multimedia tools and sufficient practice to truly understand the content explored in each session.

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

There are three important requirements of a first session: understanding the student's needs, building trust, and outlining what will be achieved over the course of the sessions. First, I will do everything I can to learn the student's behaviors and preferences, as well as what he or she and the parent(s) expect to get out of the tutoring. Next, I will explain a bit about myself and my qualifications to ensure trust in the sessions. Finally, I will present a detailed plan of objectives to be achieved in each session, as well as overall progress, which will be demonstrated through graded content.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

It is important not to simply teach the material for a given subject, but rather to give the student the tools to approach every subject with focus and efficiency. I will introduce a few different proven learning techniques and customize them for the student to find the best solution. That way, the student will not only perform to satisfaction in the specific course content, but overall improvement in all subjects will be achieved.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

The best source of motivation is proven success. By starting the sessions with graded content to show the student where he or she started, concrete improvement can be shown throughout the course of the sessions. Thus, at a time when the student feels discouraged, there will be metrics available to show him or her how far they have already come, and how much further there is potential to go.

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

Every student is unique in his or her approach to, and understanding of, a particular concept. It is important to be persistent and reassuring in trying different approaches to learning, as well as different forms of teaching (traditional, multimedia, demonstrations). Even the most successful students find some approaches to work better than others. I will ensure the student finds one that works for them, not just in these tutoring sessions, but in future subject areas.

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

The proven source of confidence for a student is preparedness. When the student does not feel prepared, it is only then that he or she lacks confidence and feels anxious. Through a combination of multiple approaches to learning and sufficient practice, the subject matter will become second-nature for the student, and will consequently build solid confidence in his or her abilities.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

In the first session, I will survey both the student and his or her parent(s) (if desired) to learn as much as possible about the student's learning habits, past performance, and future needs. After getting the best understanding possible to get started, throughout sessions I will always begin with an overview of topics. Then, through observation and practicing content, I will see with which concepts the student struggles and devote more time to those.