What is your teaching philosophy?

My goal is to not only help you with the subject material that you wish to learn but also help you learn how to find resources and access information so that some day you may not need me! I am very fond of the saying: "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime."

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

Go over the student's notes and textbook, identify issues in learning, complete sample problems together, and summarize and assess what methods helped and what methods should be changed.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

I can provide advice on how to navigate textbooks and the Internet as well as give a list of websites for the student's specific subject that can act as a targeted search engine.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

Remind the student of the main goal and that with hard work they can accomplish much more than they would have previously expected of themselves.

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

Take a different teaching approach catered to their learning style. Different visual, auditory, and physical examples can be used.

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

Write single sentence summaries of each paragraph using a highlighter as an aid.

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

Identifying their specific learning style and using plenty of examples that they can attempt themselves.

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

Using examples that relate to a student's personal interests can help them stay engaged (you can also relate them to their career field of interest).

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

I can create small tests or quizzes to assess the student, have them repeat the material back to me, or "teach" me as if I were the student.

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

A positive attitude and encouragement when students make steps towards improvement can help boost their confidence.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

In their sample problems, I will have students attempt to complete a problem to the best of their ability before identifying the spot where they need help.

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

I can use a variety of examples with different learning tools for each learning style. Online games, flashcards, physical incorporation, whiteboards, etc.

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

I usually use a whiteboard, computer, flashcards, colored markers, and YouTube videos to help tutor. Other materials may be used for other learning styles.