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

Meet and greet, and ask the student "What would you like to work on during our session together?"

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

Taking a back seat. After all, how can a student be independent if their teacher is taking the major role in their learning?

How would you help a student stay motivated?

Creating new challenges, setting attainable goals, and acknowledging their accomplishments.

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

I would teach that student using different skills that he learns easily.

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

Using metacognition and graphic and semantic organizers.

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

Outlining expectations for students thoroughly by articulating expectations and the role of the student in the course, and 'giving' the student the responsibility.

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

Managing student anxiety.

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

Think-pair-share, listening to the student "sharing" back the basics of the material.

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

Creating opportunities for students to succeed by building on their strengths. If a student knows a lot of information about something, ask them to tell me about it. "I am unfamiliar with how the new xxxx works, can you please explain it to me?" Asking students for their help is a great confidence boost to their ego. The student can also tell some of the words in Spanish.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

With a student self-report.

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

Understanding how the student is used to learning and finding similar ways to present the subject.

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

Books, Images, Movie/Song References.

What is your teaching philosophy?

"I strive to have all my students understand the concepts that we are studying, and I refuse to accept the notion that some students can't be successful with academics."