What is your teaching philosophy?

I believe that each student requires a different approach. No method will cover all students. I try my best to be a chameleon, constantly changing my teaching style to fit my current student.

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

I will start off with an informal conversation in order to ease the student into a comfortable learning environment while getting to know the student. Then we will go over the general material and figure out what we specifically have to focus on in future sessions.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

I ask as many questions as possible in order for my student's experience with me to not be a lecture, but instead a workshop. That way, they will be constantly involved and teaching themselves.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

If a student is struggling with a subject, I will motivate them with positive encouragement and give them praise when they overcome obstacles, no matter how minor they may seem.

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

I will try to break down the concept into smaller, easier, parts for the student to understand slowly. The key is patience and creativity.

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

I try to help them "actively" read. I will instruct them to take notes, and underline as they go through a passage so that they're forced to pay attention to important details and think critically about the material in front of them.

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

Making sure a student is actively involved in the tutoring process by constantly asking them meaningful and appropriately challenging questions has always worked for me.

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

I would try to help them approach it a different way than they had been looking at it before, and then gradually ease them into the subject matter until they're fully comfortable with it.

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

I would give them practice tests and ask them questions that I had not asked them before to see if they understand the subject as a whole and not just the questions we practiced.

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

Through positive reinforcement and patient practice.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

I give them a small practice quiz and see how they performed. Afterwards, I will ask them about their process for each question to see where their strengths and weaknesses lie.

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

I try to see how they learn and then teach them in the way that suits them the best.

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

I use pens, pencils, paper, calculators, and practice test prep books.