What is your teaching philosophy?

I believe that all students are capable of being successful. It is my job to foster an environment of helpfulness and hopefulness that motivates and encourages a student to achieve their goals.

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

I would like to get to know the student personally. Why are they here at tutoring? What are their goals? If a parent is involved, what are the parent's goals for their child? How does the student best learn? I would also collect some preliminary data based on those goals so we can set some baselines and begin our work.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

Becoming an independent learner is a process that takes different amounts of time for different students. Some students need strategies to help them stay on task during an independent assignment, while others need help organizing their materials and utilizing them as study tools later on. It all goes back to the student's individual needs and goals.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

I think it is important to set goals and see the progress made on those goals. It is often difficult to work hard when you don't see any outcome stemming from that. I also try to keep topics related to things that the student cares about to encourage participation.

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

It certainly depends on the skill or concept we are working on. But most often, I try to give the student an alternative strategy (or two) that may help them to understand that skill or concept in a different way that they may not have thought of before.

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

I always encourage students to slow down when working on comprehension and to stop and check in with themselves periodically while reading. I also highly encourage annotating (writing on) text to help retain focus and comprehension.

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

I find it is always important to be open and friendly with a student, encouraging them that it is a safe place to make mistakes and ask for help. I find that if a student feels unsafe or uncomfortable, even the best teaching in the world won't be very effective.

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

I always try to relate subjects to things that students care about, or at least things that they will need to know in order to be a successful adult. Students also tend to engage better with higher-order thinking activities that require more brain power (such as puzzles and word problems).

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

Periodically, and before moving on to the next concept, I will have a short "Check In," a question or two where I can verify that the student has mastered that skill. It can be as simple as a verbal answer or a problem solved.

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

I build confidence by setting attainable goals with a student and letting them see their progress as they work to meet those goals. Once a student sees that they are making headway on a goal, their confidence grows. I also use a lot of positive language to reinforce their hard work.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

I like to talk to the student and the parent about what they feel their needs are first, and from there, I will pull some resources (problems to solve, passages to read, etc.) to gather specific baseline data in that subject area.

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

Based on the conversation that I have with the student and the parent about how they learn best, I accommodate them as best I can, using a plethora of strategies. I have worked with quite a variety of learning styles and needs, so I am used to accommodating many different needs.

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

This also depends on the subject we are working on, but I usually just use paper, notebooks, pencils, and my printed resources that come from a variety of sources. I may also bring my laptop if there is something technology-related to add, but that is often not the case.