What is your teaching philosophy?

No one is good at everything, but everyone is good at something. Everyone can learn- it just may take some people more time or practice than others.

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

In a first session, I would want to do an assessment to see where the student's strengths and weaknesses are, so we know where to focus our time and energy.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

I can help a student become a more independent learner by teaching them strategies to attack a new topic that seems daunting at first.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

I help students stay motivated by discussing their goals and tying their current tasks to their long or short term goals. I also like to offer small rewards to students who struggle with motivation.

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

If a student is having difficulty with a new skill, we can go back to some of the building block skills that led up to the new skills, to gradually build up the confidence and attack the new skill again.

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

Break into the reading periodically to ask questions that help to paint the picture of the story in their minds.

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

Meet them where they are. Find out their likes/dislikes and short and long term goals through casual conversation and observations. Be willing to say 'yes' to student ideas for tutoring sessions.

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

I like to ask students to teach back to me increasingly more challenging problems once they seem to understand the material.

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

Lots of positive reinforcement and encouragement!

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

Talk about where they feel they're struggling, then start off with some questions in the foundational skills that are needed to learn the new skill.

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

I like to align myself to the student instead of the reverse. I've been known to tutor on the floor if that's where the student wants to be, or tutor in silly accents if the student is in a silly mood.

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

To do math, we need something to write with and on. That enables everything from sample problems to illustrations of math concepts. For reading, I use intervention supplies.

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

To keep a student engaged, I would make up sample problems using topics that I know the student enjoys. This is why getting to know one another is a big part of successful tutoring!