What is your teaching philosophy?

True learning involves making connections with prior learning and requires attention, repetition, and motivation. A teacher must cultivate his or her students' personal interests and motivators in order to truly connect and guide a student in the learning process.

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

The first session is a chance to get to know one another and develop trust. It is also a great opportunity to help a student voice his or her interests and academic insecurities in order to begin to develop a personalized plan to help the individual student to grow accordingly.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

I like to provide students with strategies that will help them to think critically, to ask the right questions, and to use deductive reasoning when looking at problems. Additionally, I believe it is equally important to cultivate a student's self-confidence through encouragement and success.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

Discuss what success looks like, what it will mean to master the material in the long run, and remind the student how far he or she has made it up to now.

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

If needed, take a break from trying to master the material and come back to it later with fresh eyes and ears. Students learn differently so one approach may not work for all students. Try a different method to help a student master the material.

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

Encourage focused attention to the material. We often struggle to comprehend because we aren't paying attention. Students must find a setting and reading strategy that support his or her ability to focus on the words while he or she reads. Additionally, while you read it's important to try to ask yourself the types of questions you may be asked in the exam.

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

Make it fun and well-paced. Learn a student's unique learning style and make sure to be relatable.

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

Incorporate personal interests and strengths into the difficult subject. Reveal connections between mastered material and tougher material.

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

Provide multiple opportunities for the student to answer questions that require the same masteries. Ask the student to write his or her own problem and solve it. Ask the student to teach the material to another student.

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

Show the student his or her success. If necessary, work in steps to help the student master the material in stages.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

Provide practice tests and review missed questions. Discuss subjects the student is insecure about. Pay attention to and ask about student's process when working to solve a problem.

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

I like to discuss a student's learning style with the student to make sure that the strategy I'm using is helping to make connections to the material. If there are obvious disconnections, I adjust how I am teaching the material.

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

Pen, pencil, paper, calculator, and a laptop to pull up graphics or videos that might help to understand the material.