What is your teaching philosophy?

Every person has the capability to learn. Our ability is not fixed but rather flexes and grows with the challenges we give it. I believe in motivating my students to see their true potential and pushing them to perform at their best.

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

Before I can begin tutoring a student, it is important to see what they currently know. Therefore, in my first session with a student, I would issue a diagnostic to assess what knowledge my student is arriving with and what areas they need to work on.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

In order for a student to become an independent learner they must know what knowledge they currently know and understand what they still need to gain. I use backwards planning to help gradually release responsibility from the instructor to the student. I see this backwards plan like a set of stairs, each one giving the student more responsibility as they gain more knowledge and confidence in the content they are learning.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

All progress is worth celebrating. When a student is making strides, small or large, that effort and accomplishment will be praised and encouraged. Keeping a tutoring session positive and student-focused will help that student stay motivated towards their work.

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

If a student is struggling to learn a skill or concept, I will break that content down into manageable chunks so that the student can digest the knowledge at their pace until the entire skill or concept is learned.

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

Once of the best ways to increase reading comprehension is to have a conversation about what is being read. If I had a student who was struggling with reading comprehension, I would ask them to paraphrase what they were reading, sentence by sentence, until this practice is internalized and the student is able to comprehend their reading without prompting.