What is your teaching philosophy?

I prefer what is called the Socratic Method, which is based on questioning the student. We ask "What is this problem trying to accomplish?," and then "Which of the concepts and rules you are learning now applies to this problem?" Once the meaning and purpose is understood, the rest comes through the mechanics of practice.

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

I would ask questions to find out the student's challenge areas. I will typically try different ways of explaining the same solution, to see which one "clicks" with them.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

This comes from being able to frame questions in a way specific enough to pursue a concrete solution path. It is like figuring out how to word your "Google" search so that the right hit is on the first page.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

For each work session, I set goals reasonable enough in size that each experience ends with a victory.

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

First, there is always more than one way to approach a problem - try different ways. Second, question if there is something missing from an earlier stage of coursework - perhaps the foundation is missing something.