What is your teaching philosophy?

I like to walk the student through how to think about problems instead of just doing them and expecting them to remember how to follow the same steps. I like to break problems down into a bunch of smaller and easier steps that the student already knows how to do. When a student knows why they do all of these steps and understands, I feel as though I have succeeded.

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

I will ask them about everything that they already know and get an understanding of where they are and what they might need help with. After this, I will review concepts and provide a few practice problems for the student to work on. I will help the student work through them and find where we can work from there.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

I like to walk through the concepts and have the student really know why the problems are applicable. Once the student has learned how to look at problems at the core of what they are, they will be able to look at new problems critically and figure out how to do them.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

I help my students stay motivated by showing them how the material we are covering can be applied. I also like to give them many ways to approach and tackle problems so they won't get bogged down or frustrated if something isn't working for them.

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

I like to break down concepts into smaller pieces that the student can understand. I will go through each step and make sure the student understands those completely, then I will chain them all together to understand the full concept.

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

I come up with strategies for their readings. For example, I may have the student read the summaries for what they're reading first, or have them look at questions associated with the reading first. This helps them know what they should look for in the reading and keeps them engaged.

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

I like to first find out what the student knows. I may do this by asking the student what they are doing in class and with their homework and then do a few practice problems with them. After this, I can identify where the they can improve, and we can go over those again and build up the understanding in those areas.

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

Everything we learn in class is for a reason, and sometimes students can forget that. I like to show them why what they are doing matters. I also like to get the student confident with the material by starting with easier problems then building up to where the student can be certain they understand the material.

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

I think one of the most helpful learning tools is the use of working through examples. I like to go through examples with students and then find where their weak spots are. After this, I will review the concepts with them where they were weak and then try again.

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

I like to start a student off with material that they know and understand completely. After this, I build up to more challenging problems but show them how it actually uses everything that they already know. Once they can see this, they know that they can tackle any problem of that kind.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

I always talk to my students and see how they are doing with their subjects. I create goals with my student to establish a meaning to where the work is going. After this, I can work with the student to see where they can improve.

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

My tutoring is all about where the student can improve. I come prepared with all sorts of material in the subject and then adapt to what is relevant to the student. I can also come up with many different problems that can target exactly what the student is struggling with.

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

Depending on what the student needs, we can work on their homework, look at old quizzes or tests, or do practice problems that I can provide for the student.