What is your teaching philosophy?

I understand the value of not only learning content, but also being able train students to think well. From my personal experience as a student, I know that the best professors are those who have exceptional communication skills. My hope is to not only deliver content, but also to inspire learning how to use critical thinking skills and to construct and evaluation conclusions. This can be accomplished through my student/learner-centered pedagogy. I believe that it is important that before a student masters content, an instructor should focus on learning about the student, including his/her learning styles, cultural and ethnic background, and other social information that can contribute to the way a student learns.

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

I would want to get to know the student. I would ask the student to share his/her short-term goals, long-term goals, and maybe how they feel that their assignment/class can help them achieve these goals. I would inquire about the student's interests and hobbies and begin setting a student-centered tone to the learning environment.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

I will help the student learn how to research. I do not believe it is impossible to be an independent-learner. Those words together equal an oxymoron. Learning is always in the context of learning-teacher. Whether the teacher is a book, a person, or an experience. Learning occurs when a student encounters a situation, object, or a person who teaches.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

I would tap into the student's interests and use positive reinforcement for motivation.

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

I would tap into the student's learning styles and use methods and aids that would accommodate them. For example, for a visual learner, I may use flashcards to help them memorize concepts.

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

I would guide the student in finding the main ideas in sections of the reading material and then charting supporting details for those main ideas.

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

I find it important to encourage students in their efforts to succeed. It is important that I recognize students' achievements, which could inspire future learning.

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

I would remind students of their goals and show how the subject relates to those goals and to real life experiences.

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

I would use a variety of techniques that would accommodate students' learning styles. I would use flashcards, verbal quizzing, study guides, and I would allow students to create something to demonstrate learning concepts.

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

It is important that students be recognized for their achievement. Normalizing the struggle that the student has with a subject will help them gain confidence.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

Researching students' behaviors and having knowledge of their educational assessments and noted accommodations would allow me to further assess needs. Noticing patterns in the types of work they do also is helpful. For example, if a student is continuing to fail tests, he has a need to improve his study skills.

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

Students are people, and people have different sets of skills, learning styles, and are from different environments. I would adapt as I become aware of what each student needs to help him/her succeed.

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

I would utilize a drawing board, a dry erase board, the student's textbook, laptop computer, scrap paper, calculator, and other materials that are contextual to the subject matter.