What is your teaching philosophy?

I believe that every student is a capable learner and is able to achieve academic success with the right tools and study skills.

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

In a typical first session I would want to get to know a little bit about the student. I would use this session to ask them about their interests, both in and out of the classroom. I would ask them to tell me what they liked about learning, what methods really worked for them and what did not. I would want to know about a learning experience that made them feel proud of themselves. I would ask them to identify areas of improvement for themselves. Together, we would work to make a list of goals and skills for the student to strive towards.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

I believe that teaching a student to be an independent learner is key to that student's success. I would want to help the student develop skills and habits that they could practice on their own, checking in a reviewing with me as needed. These skills could be a wide range of things from how to organize and take notes to how to create a good study environment.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

I would help students to stay motivated in several ways. First, I would try to use the student’s personal interests to engage them in learning opportunities, relating material to their own lives. Second, I would consistently offer positive feedback and focus on celebrating student successes. Third, I would have the student identify what they had done to make themselves feel proud so that they could learn to look to themselves for motivation.

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

If a student was struggling with a specific concept or skill I would try and identify what about the subject was proving especially challenging. Then, I would attempt to deliver the same material in a variety of ways to play upon student learning strengths. I would make sure to set aside a little extra time to focus on the area of struggle in each session, starting with review and moving on to acquisition of new skills.

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

I would do my best to make the information relevant to their daily lives. I would attempt to show the student how the subject matter related to their own interests.

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

I would use worksheets and problem sets to check for comprehension. I would then go through the worksheets with the student, reviewing areas of struggle.

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

I would offer consistent positive feedback, focusing on the student's strengths. I believe it is important to celebrate student successes. This means that, even in moments of struggle, help the student to see what things they are doing correctly and show them how to apply that reasoning to areas of struggle.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

Student needs can be evaluated in a few ways. Student work will show areas of needed development. Students will be able to self-report areas of struggle both verbally and through attitudes and actions that may be indicative of frustration. By reviewing and taking note of both these things, it will be possible to identify a student's needs.

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

I will adapt my tutoring to student needs by offering robust learning opportunities so that I may identify which methods of learning works best for the student. Then, I will modify curriculum to reflect the learning methods that work best for the student.