What is your teaching philosophy?

I believe that teaching should be a partnership between student and teacher. It is a cliche to say that the teacher learns from the student just as the student learns from the teacher, but it is an accurate cliche. For this reason, I always prefer that my sessions not be one sided- I would rather they feel like a conversation than a sermon.

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

In a first session, I am likely to take the first part of the session to get to know them- who they are, where they're from, where they're going, and most importantly, what they want to get out of our sessions.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

I expect that my sessions will be a partnership between the student and myself. I will not lecture at them, instead asking them a question, letting them answer it, and letting the conversation progress from there. This promotes independent learning, as it forces the student to take partial control of the sessions.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

I never lecture, and prefer to keep the session an active conversation, which often helps to keep students from becoming bored. In addition, I am very passionate about the subjects I tutor, and frequently become very excited during sessions, which keeps things from becoming stagnant.

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

Patience is always key. If there is any difficulty with any concept, it is rare that that difficulty cannot be overcome by slowly and determinedly working through it, over the course of an entire session if need be.

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

There are lots of tools for this. It's always good to have a thesaurus and dictionary around, but there is a more basic answer, for me. It is important to look at the piece from the perspective of what the student already knows, rather than focusing largely on the information that they cannot understand. Viewing it as a puzzle with only a few pieces missing is far easier than examining each individual misunderstood piece and despairing.

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

It's always good to be patient, friendly, and understanding. Learning takes time, and trying to rush that process does no one any good. It wasn't very long ago that I myself was a student, and I understand exactly what students are going through, so it is extremely easy for me to put myself in their shoes. That said, it is also good to be firm, keeping the conversation mostly centered on the learning topics.

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

The easiest way for me to get a student excited about a topic they are struggling with is to get excited about it myself, when teaching them about it. Also, it can very much help to relate what we are doing to something that does interest them in some way.

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

This depends on the subject material. Oftentimes I will ask the student questions as we go along, to make certain that they are comprehending what I am telling them, and not just nodding along with what I'm saying. It is also good to give small quizzes, or writing practicals, at intervals during the sessions.

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

Confidence is built with success. As a session progresses, the student will be able to measure their own success in their ever-increasing ability to score well on the checkpoint quizzes I give them. Also, I believe in positive reinforcement, and will do my best to encourage any feelings of confidence that they have throughout our sessions.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

The simplest way to do this is to ask the student what they want to get out of our sessions. Based on their answer, and the way they are performing during our sessions, I am better able to assess what they actually need help with.

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

If a student is having more difficulty with concepts, I will delve deeper into them- if they are understanding everything quickly and easily, we will push forward and find what they do need help with. Ultimately, I let what the student needs help with be the chief guiding factor in a session.

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

This depends largely on what the session is for. If it is for a subject like history or environmental science, it can be extremely helpful to have some external sources, like a textbook or some readings from a journal. If it is test prep, older versions of the test can come in quite handy. And, of course, I pull on my own experiences for the sessions, including old exams that I have taken and can use as educational materials.