What is your teaching philosophy?

For me, learning leads to fulfillment in life. Learning can be life changing; besides being edifying, it can give us new abilities and knowledge to better ourselves, boost our confidence, help us to get better jobs, and better equip us to understand our world. A more educated public leads to a more prosperous society, and being a facilitator of someone's learning not only emotionally satisfies me but also helps us all to achieve a better future. I think teaching in an enthusiastic and personalized way in a safe, stress-free environment is the best way to facilitate learning. As a tutor, I consider the student's prior knowledge of subject matter as well as his/her strengths and difficulties when approaching a manner of instruction. Moving at a slow rate, I provide explanations and examples of the concepts at hand and then allow the student opportunities to test his/her knowledge. With appropriate motivation, encouragement, and time, anybody can overcome his/her difficulties and learn something new and valuable.

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

First session with learner: When initially meeting with a student, it's important to gauge the student's prior knowledge of a subject, but such a process may take time. I would typically ask the student what he/she needs help with and offer a brief explanation intermittently, asking if he/she understands. The student and I would likely do several collaborative examples. If the concept has clicked, I would give several more examples for the students to resolve independently with me as a resource in case he/she gets stuck. As additional practice, I might offer more resources or highlight any pertinent homework that the student might have to cement the concepts in question.