What is your teaching philosophy?

"If I learn a concept, I might forget, but if I understand it, it is forever."

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

Try to analyze what/where the problem is, also find out the best way the student likes to be taught, e.g. pictures, bullet points, Q&A, etc.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

Always ask the "why?" and "how?" after every "what?" And encourage the student to do the same.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

Breaking down the larger goal into smaller, achievable targets and providing support as needed during the session, and I'd provide positive reinforcement at the end of each achievement.

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

Finding a practical life example the student can relate to, and using it to explain the concept.

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

I'd have the student re-read slowly, break it up. and punctuate it with "connections" and "questions" to figure out what's important.

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

The first thing to do always is to enable the student to identify and evaluate the problem area, and then share with them how that concept is applicable to their daily life. Once the students starts to share my excitement for the subject, the rest is easy.

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

Explain to the student, "why?" should they need to learn the subject (a reason beyond just passing the class/test). Also, sharing with them what fascinates me about the subject helps sometimes.

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

Having the student come up with an example of the application of the concept, or a situation where the same concept is being used. I believe being able to draw parallels helps strengthen brain connections much more than lengthy quizzes. A few short questions can be occasionally used.

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

Usually I find having the student teach me back/explain to someone else works great. Also having the student create a set of interesting questions on the topic goes a long way.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

Ask a student to tell me about their favorite class or subject and then find out why. If I can find out what in that class helped the student, we are on the same page on what needs to be done.

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

Have them verbalize, find out their favorite way of studying, and find out what excites them, and then start to build upon it.

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

I am a visual/audio person, so pictures, diagrams, audios, mnemonics, and real-world examples have usually helped me the most, and that is what I like to use for my students as well.