What is your teaching philosophy?

I believe that all students have the potential to succeed academically, but that the traditional classroom setting is often not conducive to students' learning styles. I think that through patience and an understanding of how a student learns, anyone can succeed academically.

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

Get to know the student, his/her learning style, and where he/she excels and struggles academically. I also would like to set clear goals that we can work on together and figure out what motivates them.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

By giving the student learning tools, such as study skills and note-taking techniques, the student can find what works best for them and take those skills with them to become an independent learner. Also, by finding personal connections with the material, students feel more motivated to learn, and the information is more easily solidified.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

By staying upbeat and energetic, patient, understanding, and by holding the student accountable for their work, I try to keep students motivated.

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

We will go back to the foundation of the concept/skill that the student is having trouble with, and we will find where exactly the student is having trouble. From there we will try different techniques to make the difficult material clear.

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

I think it is important to figure out where the difficulty in reading comprehension is coming from. Whether it is from lack of concentration or the difficulty level of the material, we can work to solve the problem together. We can use different techniques and skills to tackle reading a difficult text that the student can carry with them throughout their lives.

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

Most often, finding personal connections with the information and understanding how the different concepts have appeared in one's own life are successful in solidifying concepts. Also, listening fully and completely to the students' needs has been extremely important in having a successful tutoring relationship. Lastly, patience is at the core of my work as a tutor.

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

Try different approaches! I would try to see if I could make the material into a game, or find a song to help explain.

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

Asking the student to teach me (or maybe a parent) what they've learned is a great way for students to show that they've comprehended the material, and it also helps them learn the material better.

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

Starting with easier material and praising the student often helps to build their confidence.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

I like to first ask the student what they think they struggle with most when it comes to learning the subject that they're coming into tutoring for. I then like to observe how they problem solve - whether they give up quickly, become easily frustrated, or persist until they figure it out.

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

I like to see how the student learns best and adapt accordingly. For example, if a student appears to be more of a verbal learner, I like to ask them questions about the material so they can show me what they know. They can further solidify the information, and let me know the areas where they are still unclear. If a student is more of a musical/auditory learner, I like to incorporate music to demonstrate different concepts. This works especially well in learning languages, but can also be really helpful in other subjects.

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

I usually have the textbook with me, post-it notes, markers, flashcards, and highlighters. I also have music always available, and my computer to create pictures and diagrams.