What is your teaching philosophy?

My teaching philosophy is that in order to learn, it's necessary to have 3 things: a base of knowledge, tools to analyze that knowledge, and real-world examples to put that knowledge into context. That's why, when I teach, I always teach my students have the fundamental knowledge and tools needed to understand and analyze the problems they face, and I place those problems in a real-world context.

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

In a first session, I would lay out exactly what the student needs me to work with them on, in the short term and in the long term. I would also find out what they already know about the subject or issue at hand and use that information to find out what they need to know in the future, and plan accordingly.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

I enable them to become independent by advising them how to study effectively, as well as by making sure that they understand the ideas that we talk about so they are able to apply what they learn to new problems.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

I would help them stay motivated by talking about the benefit they'll get from working hard and learning.

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

I would go over the skill or concept, try to give analogies and examples to make it clearer, and give them more practice problems to practice the concepts on.