What is your teaching philosophy?

Teaching is not a "one size fits all" job. Every student learns differently and should be encouraged to learn using skills that emphasize their strengths.

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

Introduce myself and then have the student tell me a bit about themselves as a learner, what they are capable of doing in that subject at that time and what they hope to achieve from the lesson.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

Every student needs to understand what type of strategies to use when they get stuck, what type of learner they are and what resources out there to help them succeed.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

Encouragement and proof of past successes.

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

I would take a different approach to teaching them; by using models, either manipulatives or examples of other students' work.

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

Students struggling with reading comprehension can be helped by teaching them to preview questions beforehand, how to chunk information, underline/highlight key words (proper nouns, dates, etc.) and by having them identify where they struggle the most.

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

Encouragement and support when they struggle the most.

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

My own personal enthusiasm for the subject, keeping the instruction light and reassuring the student that they will understand it with practice and patience.

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

Asking the student to summarize or repeat back to me what they understand from the lesson.

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

Reassurance and encouragement when they are working on a problem or trying to learn a new concept.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

Summative and formative assessments, as well as a self-assessment from the student, all help to evaluate the student’s needs.

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

I adapt my tutoring based on the student’s needs and then following up by use of multiple modalities in my instruction.

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

Manipulatives, visuals and auditory elements are all helpful pieces in all my tutoring sessions.