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

It begins with getting acquainted and listening; a student needs to understand that this is about them and not the tutor.

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

Explore any connection, even if it's not immediately evident, between the student's interests and the subject matter.

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

Encourage your student to teach the material to you, especially at the beginning of a session before you move to the next topic.

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

Students are most confident when they can explain or teach the material to someone else, especially a peer.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

Evaluation of a student's needs begins with a conversation with them and their current teacher(s). Diagnostic tests can also be useful to assess areas of strength and areas for improvement.

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

Listening and observing are the foundations for understanding individual learning styles as well as identifying those subject areas that need attention.

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

The learning style(s) of a student will direct the selection of materials and methods - from aural to visual, conceptual to learning by doing, written to spoken.

What is your teaching philosophy?

Learning is lifelong and takes many forms - from formal class work to experiential. It should be embraced and enjoyed, understanding that the process will have its ups and downs. I hope to instill that zest for learning that has informed my life.

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

A first session is the opportunity to get acquainted, develop some of the rapport that will be essential for working together effectively, and share expectations.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

Independent learning usually flows from a genuine curiosity about the world around you. As a tutor, you want to do all you can to ignite that passion for knowing more, whatever the subject.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

Motivation is usually a direct outcome of having set clear goals and defining a pathway to achieve them. This is a key part of how a tutor gets started with their student, and it's something they revisit regularly.

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

When there are difficulties with learning a skill or concept, it's best to break those down into their constituent parts and begin with smaller "bites."

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

Reading aloud and analyzing how sentences cohere to make paragraphs and so on often will enable better comprehension and demonstrate to the student how a writer develops their characters, points of view, and overall argument.