What is your teaching philosophy?

Teaching always proceeds from the known to the unknown. I will determine where you, the student, first lost track of the learning process, take you back there, and give you all the help you need to get where you need to be.

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

In a first session, I try to get to know the student a little, set the student's mind at ease that I am on their side and find out what they already know about the subject and problems before us.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

Encourage them to use textbooks, rather than to ignore them as most teachers now advise, and to learn to use and then to use all resources, like the index of the textbook.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

Treat him as though it is a foregone conclusion that he will succeed in whatever we are attempting in tutoring.

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

Repeat my instruction patiently, each time from a different perspective.

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

Work a few examples, but mainly advise that they take a reading comprehension course.

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

Ask what they already know; discern quickly their aptitude and cooperate with it.

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

They will not engage if they are continually failing; the only way to get them going is to help them succeed in a few problems.

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

Have them repeat it in their own words; have them work similar problems on their own.

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

Proceed as though it is a foregone conclusion that they will succeed.

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

Exercise patience with those who are timid; boldly push ahead with those who are confident.

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

The student's and my own textbooks.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

Ask questions.