What is your teaching philosophy?

To be a good teacher, you must truly love what you are teaching. I have a very strong passion for math, statistics, science, and psychology, and I want to give my students that passion and enthusiasm. Learning is most likely to occur when the student feels it has a purpose, Thus, my challenge as a teacher and tutor is to make what I am teaching applicable and relevant to the interests of my students. I have tutored many students and I have come to realize that every student is different. Because of this, I incorporate many different teaching methods to find the ones that work best with my students. I use learning styles such as visuals, concrete examples, and practice problems to ensure a quality learning experience for all of my students. I may be a teacher and tutor, but I am also a resource. If a student needs help and guidance, I will aid them any way possible. This is why I encourage my students to call, text, or email me anytime if they have any questions, comments, or concerns.

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

During the first session, it is very important to establish rapport with the student. You want the student to feel comfortable with you as a person. To do this, I introduce myself, talk briefly about my interests and provide a little bit of background about my tutoring experience. I also encourage my students to tell them a little about themselves. Once the student feels comfortable, I then try to figure out the areas in which the students need the most help. This will allow me to plan for future sessions and not waste any time on areas that the students do not need help with.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

There are many ways to help students become independent learners. Here are a few techniques that I think are effective: -Provide students opportunities to self-monitor by helping them develop their use of self and peer assessment -Ask open-ended questions to promote thinking, problem-solving skills, and deeper understanding -Show students how to categorize information to help them remember material more easily -Encourage students to collaborate with their peers so that they can learn from each other and develop their own ideas -Encourage students to set their own learning goals

How would you help a student stay motivated?

To help student stay motivated, I encourage them to set attainable goals. If a student has to know six chapters for a test that is two weeks away, I would encourage them to focus on one chapter every two days and spend the last two days reviewing all of the chapters. Another way I help boost motivation for students is by providing social support. Providing informational and emotional support helps students push through challenging periods in classes. Openly acknowledging a student's accomplishments also boosts their motivation.

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

I would identify the area of difficulty and determine whether or not we simply need to review the material or try a new approach to the concept to be learned. Sometimes you just have to go back to basics and build up to the more complex material.

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

One method I use is to ask my students open-ended, such as "Why is this somewhat confusing?" as they read. If vocabulary is an issue, I will discuss the meaning of certain words as we go through the text. I will probe what those words mean and how they can be used. One of the most important and effective techniques that I have come upon is teaching note-taking skills and summarizing strategies. This really helps students understand what they are reading.

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

I have found that asking the student to identify the areas that they struggle with the most to be the most successful strategy when I start working with a student. As a tutor, it is my job to help my students understand areas that they struggle with. Before I can do that, I need to know these areas so that I can effectively help facilitate learning in these areas.

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

I would try to relate the subject with an area that interests them. I once tutored a student in math and he hated numbers. I learned that he really liked sports when I was establishing rapport with him during the first session. To help my student become more engaged in the material, I created math problems that incorporated sports. This really helped my student learn and he ended up getting a good grasp of the material.

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

One technique I do is give the student practice problems. If I am tutoring my student in factoring, I will give them factoring problems to see if they can solve the problems on their own. Another technique I do is I have the student become the teacher and have them explain the material to me as if I were a student. This helps me gauge how well they understand the material.

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

I have found that praising and acknowledging my students' accomplishments helps build confidence. I always start with a positive statement and add on to that statement by referring to areas that they need to work on. I also never interrupt my students while they are talking because that can harm their confidence. I also encourage my students to set attainable goals for the next session so that they can feel prepared. Most importantly, I always express a positive attitude with my student to create a safe and nonthreatening environment.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

One method I utilize it to simply ask my students what areas they need the most help with. I also have provided diagnostic assessments to my students so that I can detect problem areas. Observation is also very effective. You can learn a lot just by watching students at work. I have found that using the thinking aloud strategies is effective in evaluating a student's needs. I will give a student a problem and have them articulate what they are thinking as they attempt to solve it.

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

All students are different and thus have different needs. There are many ways I adapt my tutoring to my student's needs. Here are some of the techniques that I have used in the past: -stating the objective -provide outlines of tutoring sessions -use visuals to explain concepts -encourage note taking -have students repeat concepts -explain the material in different ways

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

I have used the following materials in my tutoring sessions: -smartphones, tablets, laptops, and computers -homework and assignment sheets -whiteboards -textbooks relevant to the lesson -interactive websites -materials for note taking, such as pencils, pens, and paper