What is your teaching philosophy?

I feel that students don't care what you know until they know that you care, that you are personally invested in their future and want to see them succeed. I am approachable and friendly, and I encourage asking lots of questions.

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

After a brief introduction, I would start by asking them a few questions to see where they are in their understanding of the content material. Once I have identified a weakness or misconception in the students understanding, I would address it using various online tools (such as the whiteboards) to seek out and rectify the misconceptions in a timely manner so that we can move on to the next weakness the student may be facing.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

I can help a student become an independent learner by teaching them how to judge the quality of information in front of them. Also, by opening their eyes to various ways to study course materials and figuring out which method of study works best for them.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

Send encouraging messages, set goals for my students, and above all let them know that I care and that I want to see them succeed.

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

I would look for various online links that may contain video clips or basic diagrams and use those to initiate a conversation with the student, asking as many questions as I can to see if I can find his or her misconception or roadblock to understanding the information.

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

This is usually due to a lack of understanding the vocabulary terms they are attempting to read, or a lack of attempting to answer questions about the material before moving on. I would encourage them to write out detailed notes by hand or attempt practice questions on the material before moving to another subject to see if that helps them retain what they are reading.

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

Being approachable and understanding the students desire to succeed. I often use visual diagrams to convey information to students. I also ask lots of questions to ensure that I don't waste a student's time talking to them about something they are already familiar with. This allows us to spend more time on the harder to understand concepts they are seeking help with in the first place.

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

By providing them with plenty of real life examples of how the information they are learning will be useful to them in the future, and also by seeking to make personal connections between the information they are studying and their day to day lives.

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

I try to ask as many questions of my students as they ask of me. This allows me to continuously monitor their understanding of the material and take steps backwards to correct misconceptions, if needed.

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

By ensuring that they receive a solid foundation in the knowledge of that subject matter. The confidence will come when they see new information and are able to comprehend and understand it!

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

By asking them questions about the subject matter just to get a better idea of what they do know already and what it is that we need to work on together.

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

Everyone learns differently. I would start by talking with the student about how they best learn and tailor my approach to that student's best learning style.

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

Diagrams, video clips, verbal questions/answers, comprehension questions, etc.