What is your teaching philosophy?

My philosophy is that teaching should be about instilling a problem-solving intuition as opposed to solving problems on a case-by-case basis. This way, students will be able to face their own challenges in the future without the need of outside guidance!

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

Establishing a connection and a sense of comfort with a student creates a strong learning environment. During my first session, I would conduct an icebreaker activity to really engage with the student during subsequent tutoring.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

My goal as a tutor is to really instill an intuitive understanding of a topic, not just guide through problems systematically. This really helps students become more independent, not only when learning new things, but also when facing tough challenges.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

Motivation is key in maintaining a positive learning environment; however, every student is different and each are motivated by different things. To list one motivation factor would be a gross oversimplification of effective motivation. Instead, I would establish early on what goals the student has, and to keep them motivated, I would appeal to those goals whatever they may be for that particular student.

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

All students learn differently, and it is my job to ensure that I can find a way for a student to learn a skill or concept. If a student is having difficulty, it is up to me to change the approach to the problem, whether it be analytical, numerical, visual, or another approach- there is a way for the student to learn the skill.

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

Being able to establish a connection between one thing and another really strengthens the understanding and the recollection of a concept. Techniques such as the use of analogies between tough concepts and easily recognized everyday things can really drive home a certain topic; the use of mnemonic devices is also a great technique when it comes to recollection and understanding of a concept.

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

Giving a sense of hope and building confidence are often used interchangeably; however, they shouldn't be. A sense of hope is temporary and can often be less effective than building confidence. Building a student's confidence in a subject is a process that may start with giving a student a sense of hope that they will achieve what they want in a subject. Then, it is up to me to gradually make a student feel more independent in a subject matter by providing them the tools necessary to achieve an understanding of any topic- this will inevitably make a student feel confident in their abilities.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

A student's needs are highly dependent on the subject at hand and particularly, the different topics in the subject. Upon the first session, the areas in which the student is struggling are quite clear and there is usually a common thread between them. Whether the problem is visual, the student only seems to be struggling with word problems, or the problem may be something about the fundamental understanding of the entire subject, the student's needs present themselves during the first session, and I do my very best to cater to those needs.

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

When I was a student, I would always test my understanding of a skill or concept by approaching it from as many different angles as I could (sometimes it would make things much easier, and other times it would make things more complex), and I always found myself achieving the same end result. Because I'm so used to morphing the methods that I do things, there is a versatility that allows me to easily adapt to a student's needs after they are evaluated.