What is your teaching philosophy?

My philosophy of teaching is to adapt into what the students need. Each student needs different kinds of help. After getting to know them, I would be able to find out where to start and how to teach them in the most effective ways. Some students just need a couple tips or hints to the problems; meanwhile, some students need to learn everything all over again to ensure they completely understand, from the basics all the way to advanced techniques, one step at a time.

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

Introducing myself, of course. Then, I like to spend the first 5 minutes to learn about how the student is doing so far in school, the classes they are taking, which college/university they want to get into, extracurricular activities, how does he/she want me to help, and what is the student's long-term goal from the tutor.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

In order to become an independent learner, a student needs to learn how to read the textbooks. Most textbooks have too much detail of everything that no one likes to read it. Therefore, teaching the student some techniques and tips on how to read the textbooks more effectively would help the student to be able to learn on their own. In addition, there are many resources online that can help them, so I like to share how I use the Internet as one of the most useful resources for an independent learner.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

Telling them why they are learning what they are learning! There is always a reason behind everything they have to learn.

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

I find drawing out diagrams or illustrations is one of the most effective way to help. Giving real-life examples also works in many situations. When it comes to math, I like to break down material into steps that are easier to memorize and follow.

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

I still remember the line from someone that "The only way to understand the passage is that you have to read it like you want to learn about it." Most of the time, students read and skim through so fast that they don't even know what they are reading about.

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

Helping the student to become more comfortable with the student-tutor relationship first. If the student is uncomfortable, he/she would be scared even to tell what they need help on. Then, how can you help? That's why, in the first session, it's important that we spend time to learn about each other a little bit before we can start to get into the work.

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

Illustration, diagram, step-by-step techniques, and talking about the material with relation to a real-life situation.

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

Having the student do similar problems many times until they feel confidence in that subject.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

Let the student do the problems and see what they struggle on, while having them asking questions frequently.

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

Textbooks, Whiteboard, Internet(Google!).

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

Sharing the previous experience of some students who had difficult times like he/she is at the moment and share how they have overcome it. Half of the time I can make the subjects more exciting, but some topics are just really boring. So you have to tell them they are no the only one who finds it boring.

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

It takes some times to learn the student's needs. But once I get to know my students very well, I can adjust my teaching style to how they learn best.