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

Whenever a student has difficulty learning a concept or skill, I explain it in multiple different ways. In addition, I provide a variety of examples and a great deal of practice with that concept or skill until both the student and I are satisfied that the student has a solid understanding and feels comfortable implementing it independently.

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

In a first session, I like to see some of the student's independent work so that I have an idea of the student's strengths and areas for improvement. If I am tutoring a student for test prep, I will have them do a brief practice test and then review their answers with them after they finish. If I am tutoring a student for writing, I will have them complete a writing sample, which I can use to plan my instruction for future sessions.

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

I build students' confidence in a subject by determining their ability level, and then giving them work that they can succeed in right away with scaffolding and direct instruction. Once they have realized that they are capable of using the skill, I gradually push them towards independence and increase the difficulty of the work, showing them that they can also be successful independently, and with more challenging assignments.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

I evaluate students' needs by having them complete a short assignment completely independently, so that I can see what they are currently producing on their own. For students receiving tutoring in test prep, I have them complete a short practice test. For students receiving tutoring in writing, I have them complete a writing sample. I then analyze the completed test or writing sample and identify areas of strength and areas that need improvement.

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

Since tutoring is individualized, I focus each tutoring session on the student's areas which need improvement. Using direct instruction, I model successful use of the skill in question, and then I guide the student to successfully use the skill himself. Over time, I direct the student to complete problems using the particular skill more and more independently and with increasingly difficult problems, until he is proficient in using the skill independently.

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

Obviously the materials I use during a tutoring session depend on the subject I am tutoring in. For test prep tutoring I use practice tests with reading passages and questions which we work through together. For tutoring in writing, I generally use some kind of reading passage, whether an informational text or a novel, and writing activities which go along with the reading passage. This allows me to also teach some reading comprehension, and gives the writing activities greater meaning and purpose.