What is your teaching philosophy?

My teaching philosophy revolves around helping students gain the confidence that they need to master new material. Students thrive when they recognize that they are capable of learning. Listening to student's own concerns and ideas, and helping students talk through problem areas, can unlock the cognitive blocks that inhibit learning.

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

I would spend the first few minutes getting to know the new student, then start talking through the subject that the student and I will be working on during our session, trying to identify the student's strengths and potential weaknesses.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

By showing students that they have the capacity to learn, by helping them to develop the study and practice tools they need to learn independently, and by encouraging the student's natural curiosity.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

I was always most motivated to learn by seeing how much my teachers and professors loved their subject areas. I help motivate my own students through my own enthusiasm and by encouraging students to pursue their own interests and ideas.

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

I would have that student work through a similar problem that they have experience solving, or that they are more than able to solve, in order to help restore their confidence. I would then try to connect that easier problem to the new skill or concept that the student is learning to build a bridge between what the student already confidently knows and what they are struggling with.

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

Developing a rapport with the student by exploring shared interests and hobbies can help students to open up and get them ready to tackle new and difficult information.

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

I would try to spread my own enthusiasm for that subject by sharing an anecdote from my life or from within the subject area that can show the student how fun and interesting that subject can be.

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

I would utilize discussion and review quizzes to help establish that a student has mastered new material.

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

Student confidence can be best developed by providing them with opportunities to personally engage with the subject and to demonstrate their own competence.

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

First, I would have the student read something with which they are already familiar. After this confidence building exercise, I would ask the student to read one sentence at a time, then one paragraph at a time, summarizing or paraphrasing what they have read as they go.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

I evaluate student's needs by asking questions, but also by paying attention while working with that student to try and identify problem areas that they might not be aware of themselves.

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

My tutoring style is based around helping students to discover and develop their own learning and study skills. Each student's learning style will be different, and each student will have difficulty with different subjects, concepts, and skills. I partner with students to discover these unique aspects of their learning style, and to find methods, study tools, and teaching styles that best meet their needs.

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

Depending on the subject, I will ask students to bring in the homework, textbook, or essay they need help with, as well as some scratch paper for brainstorming, working out problems, or practicing. When tutoring Mandarin in person, I will also use flashcards, supplemental reading pages, and character practice sheets.