What is your teaching philosophy?

There isn't anything that can't be explained. If a student is interested, he or she will be able to learn it.

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

The first thing is to find out what the student's needs are and what learning style best applies to the them, as we are all very different. I'd make sure the student is comfortable talking about their needs. Only then can a lecture begin.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

Figuring out the student's learning style and helping them organize material accordingly is important for an independent learner. Teaching a student the sources for information they can access as well as being available as a tutor for any questions that may come up helps the student to be more confident.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

While studying should be fun, it is work. But there should be a meaning to one's hard work: a particular goal that a student has to keep in mind. Knowing what requirements will bring one closer to one's goal is a great motivator.

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

There are many ways to explain one thing. Something WILL work. I won't give up.

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

I try to make a student comfortable, let them chose a topic for study within the subject when we're not bound by a school program/test, and always tell them about difficulties I faced while in school.

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

I try to find out what interests the student, what their goal is, and then look for materials to help relate the student's interests with the subject they are struggling with.

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

I'd ask a student to 'teach' me the material and pretend to be a student asking many questions.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

I ask a student (or a parent), basing it on grades in school, and giving a student assessments, asking them to let me know whether the topic was not understood or just not learned well.

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

School materials if available. My own study materials, worksheets and some of the materials I saved from my own schooling.

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

I tell them about my own struggles and how I overcame them and mastered the subject. I always say that there isn't anything a student can not learn. There are many ways to arrive at a good result.

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

It really depends on the situation.

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

Pick interesting topics. Let students chose topics too. Teach them how to extract information from "boring" or difficult topics and put it together to understand what they have read.