What is your teaching philosophy?

I like to connect the material to the student's interests and give examples as to how these subjects are used in everyday life to create excitement about the material.

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

Get to know their learning styles and interests to find out what motivates them.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

By showing the student where to find good resources online and giving the student tips for getting the information they need from textbooks.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

By incorporating their interests into the subject matter.

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

Try to break the concept down into smaller, easier to manage parts and build these parts into the full concept.

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

By giving the student example problems or by having the student teach me the material.

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

Through encouraging words and actions. Small victories build into understanding and confidence.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

By listening to the student describe the problem and by using probing questions.

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

By gauging their reactions to what I say and how I say it.

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

I like to use my portable whiteboard because it gives me a lot of freedom for showing the steps of solving a problem and breaking down the pieces that need more explanation.

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

I like to get to know the student and how they learn. Finding out what motivates them really helps me best tutor that individual.

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

I would try to connect the subject with things the student likes/excels at already.

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

I like to read the problem to the student and help them break up a longer passage into easier to understand parts.