What is your teaching philosophy?

Not only am I a lifelong learner, but I am also a lifelong teacher. As such, I feel that there is little value in being an expert on my subjects unless I can communicate my knowledge to others effectively.

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

I would take the first half of the session to get acquainted with the student. Therefore, I'd ask information about the student’s academic background, including their strengths and weaknesses, and get an introduction to the course that I will be helping them with. Then, I’d get right into the course material during the second half of the session.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

I have worked in an independent study high school for the past 8 years. I know that the best way to teach students how to become independent learners is to teach them to set clear goals, and to reach these goals by developing proper time-management skills.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

As a follower of the 7 Habits of Highly Successful People, I practice the ideology of “beginning with the end in mind.” This helps students see the bigger picture and realize that though they might not be interested in the coursework in front of them today, it is part of the process to help ensure their success in the future.

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

Each student learns differently; therefore, I must adapt to their learning styles. If a student is not understanding the concept the way in which I am teaching it, then I must try a different method in which to present the information. Some students are visual learners, some are auditory learners, and others are tactile learners, so there is always a different approach to deliver a lesson.

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

It is important that a student learns proper note-taking skills if they are struggling to retain information. This way, I can help them interpret the material, and then they can create their notes in a way that they can go back later and study on their own.

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

Every individual has a different personality. As an instructor, it is important that I quickly learn what type of personality my student has, so I can therefore figure out the best way to effectively communicate with him/her. By establishing solid communication, delivering lessons and finding the student’s strengths and weaknesses, everything becomes fluid, and therefore, more effective.

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

It is natural for any human being to gravitate towards what they are interested in. It is important that a student knows this so that they don’t feel like they are the only ones who are struggling to stay focused in a course that doesn’t pique their interest. Subsequently, we must highlight that by taking on a “boring” or “hard” subject, the student is accomplishing a very difficult task. By putting more worth on these types of courses, it makes even the smallest progress make the student feel all the more victorious.

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

As much as possible I try to show a student how the material relates to them. For example history, where most students feel that the course is irrelevant because it is in the past, I try to explain to them how history has a way of repeating itself by finding a present day correlation. Once they are able to relate to the material by seeing how it affects them personally, their level of engagement goes up.

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

The best way to build a student’s confidence is by praising his/her success for each milestone they accomplish. In order to get to this point, I focus on the core building blocks of the subject they are struggling in so that they start with a basic understanding. After that we can then add more complex components so that they are prepared for all levels of rigor in that course.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

The best way to evaluate a student’s needs is by giving them a baseline assessment in that subject. This is not a formal exam, but can be more of a conversation or an outline (to determine writing abilities).

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

I adapt to the student’s learning style. So if I see that listening to me speak does not have him/her engaged, then I will include more visuals. If that does not work, then I have them take more notes, and so forth. Additionally, I feel that if I challenge a student to “teach” me a lesson, I can help them fill in the gaps while making them more familiar with the material.

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

I have created some handouts and binders over the years to help me provide visuals to my students. In addition, I will have the basics with me such as a laptop and some paper and pencils.