What is your teaching philosophy?

"It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge." -Einstein

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

Identify weaknesses and learning style.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

Encourage a positive attitude toward learning; establish the student's vision and remind them of their final goals; assess and strengthen knowledge base before jumping to complex problems.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

Remind them of their final goal and aspirations.

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

Encourage a positive attitude; remind the student to focus on their strengths rather than weaknesses.

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

Encourage daily reading; solidify vocabulary base; address weaknesses.

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

"It is very hard to fail" attitude; identify learning style of the specific student; identify knowledge gaps; address the student's weakness and mentor the student to a positive psychological state.

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

Relate it to life; show the student the significance of the subject in the real, pragmatic world; use teaching methods that make the subject exciting for the student; remind the student how knowledge of the subject will help him/her in their future careers.

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

Graduated step-up responsibility to solve simple to then complex problems; reiterating the basics of the subject; strengthening the knowledge core needed to excel within the subject. For example, to learn Algebra you need to first learn how to multiply. If the base is not strong, there is no point in constructing a building.

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

Motivation; Acknowledging when the student shows improvement; Reinforcing the simplicity of the subject once the basis is strong.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

Identifying their approach to learning and what they think makes a particular subject difficult; identifying the way a particular student learns.

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

Recognizing a particular student's learning style and then utilizing tools that favor that style. For example , drawing out diagrams for visually oriented students

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

Diagrams, Notes, etc.