What is your teaching philosophy?

I believe in teaching from the ground up - if you're struggling with a concept, I'll help you find out what foundational concepts need solidifying first so that more difficult concepts will be easier to grasp.

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

When I first meet a student, I want to get to know him/her as a person - what does he/she like to do? What's his/her favorite subject in school? I aim to make learning personal and fun, and getting to know a student personally allows that experience to happen!

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

The job of a tutor is to ensure that a student fully understands the underlying concepts without hesitation and can then apply them on his/her own - after all, that's what you need to do in school and on homework! I'll make sure you know how to apply concepts to situations, lead you through a few problems, then allow you to try problems on your own. I don't believe in holding your hand unless it's necessary!

How would you help a student stay motivated?

Confidence causes motivation. If you feel confident in what you're doing, you'll want to prove it to others through tangible work. By working steadily until you're 100% positive you know how to do something, and by not pushing you too far beyond your capabilities, I'll help keep you motivated.

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

Often, when a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, he or she doesn't understand a foundational concept necessary to understand the present concept at hand. Therefore, I'll back up and work with the student until he/she feels 100% confident with foundational principles, then we can tackle the difficult skill or concept at hand.

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

When starting to work with a student, I first assess either directly or indirectly to see where a student is at, and get to know his/her learning style. That way, I can customize future lessons for optimum achievement.

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

To get students engaged, I find real-world applications for lessons students are learning. Once a student realizes how or why they are learning a certain concept, they are more likely to engage with the material.

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

Besides conventional testing and quizzing, I often like to have a student teach the information back to me. I've found that this is almost a surefire way to assess whether or not the student understands the material.

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

Students build confidence through practice and mastery. By practicing the material over and over, students will eventually feel confident to apply the material to any situations in the future, thus achieving mastery in the subject matter.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

I evaluate a student's needs based on their past performance in the subject area, their current struggles with material, and their hopes for what they want to achieve (be it higher grades or a certain test score). That way, instruction can be customized to help the student achieve in whichever way they truly want to.