Alexander

What is your teaching philosophy?

I ask questions. I ask conceptual questions to my students with the intention that they realize the answer on their own. Learning is intrinsic, and I'm not here to teach. I am here to help those who want to learn.

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

The first session is all about learning for me. I have to understand how her/his mind works to be able to successfully guide the student towards understanding his/her topic.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

Motivation. This is the only way to inspire someone to learn independently. I motivate students by giving them the unparalleled gratification of finding the right answer on their own, only acting as a guide.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

I answered this in the previous question.

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

I will support him/her until he/she learns the concept. Learning is difficult; I relate to that, and I may share a story of my own struggles with studying. I will reinforce that the hard concepts take time and effort, but nothing is impossible to understand.

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

I don't correct them, not at first. I ask them what they think an excerpt meant to them. I ask more specific questions, and I instruct them on questions to ask themselves throughout the reading.

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

My most successful strategy is becoming friends with the student and just being real with them. That establishes the necessary trust that most instructors neglect.

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

I would think of things about the subject that would excite the student. Everybody's different, so I may need to use humor, or a scientific example, or a natural example -- it just has to be relatable to them to invoke emotions.

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

Repetition of questions. Ensuring the student is being honest in their understanding, and not trying to rush through the material.

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

By helping the student find the correct answers and the correct manners of thinking, on his or her own.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

Psychoanalysis.

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

I am always adapting my tutoring to the student's needs.

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

Pencil and paper.