What is your teaching philosophy?

The trick to engaging the student in learning the material is to present the material in a way that makes it interesting to the student. Ultimately, practice makes perfect!

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

Begin with working through the problems/questions with the student, providing them with hints and tips with how to best learn the material needed to answer the question. Gradually progress to where the student answers the question on his/her own with me only checking their final answer. The last step is to not expect me to verify if an answer is correct. To become an independent learner, the student needs to be confident in their abilities.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

Present the material in a way that is interesting and engaging to the student. To do this, I would first have to get to know the student a little bit--their likes, dislikes, interests, and favorite activities.

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

If a student is having a hard time with a topic, I would step back and approach it from a different angle. There are multiple ways to learn most things. Everyone has different strengths, so one approach may be easier for Student A than Student B.

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

First I would get to know the student a little and determine what their tutoring goals are. So as to not waste a session, I would then get started covering the material right away.

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

Showing my enthusiasm for a subject often influences the attitude of the student. Another approach is to make the subject a little more relatable to the student. Compare aspects of the subject to things that the student is familiar with and is relevant to his/her life.