What is your teaching philosophy?

My teaching philosophy is to be whatever type of teacher the student needs. All students can succeed, but all are different. With the right style of tutoring, each student can reach his or her potential.

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

In a typical first session with a student, I believe it is necessary to identify the student's goals. What is it that they are trying to achieve? Do they have any upcoming tests or deadlines?

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

To help students become independent learners, I challenge them to become so familiar with the subject matter that they are eventually able to teach it to me.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

In order to help a student stay motivated, it is important to think about the bigger picture. Sure, one problem or one test might seem inconsequential, but by accomplishing these small feats, students are able to stay on track to graduate and attend college.

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

If a student is having difficultly, it is beneficial to come up with a new way of explaining the topic. It also helps to relate the topic to something the student is interested in. Lastly, something as simple as a five-minute break can work wonders.

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

Effective note taking is a great way to combat difficulties with reading comprehension. For mathematics, it helps to write down all that is given, and what you need to solve.

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

It is helpful to keep the student engaged. I like to relate problems to the interests of my students. That way not only am I helping them learn, but I am also getting to know them, which makes for a better and more comfortable tutoring environment.

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

By relating subjects to things that my students are interested in, students become more engaged.

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

Students become more confident in subjects when they are able to successfully solve problems without help. They then can trust themselves, without too much second-guessing. An effective technique here is to have the student teach the teacher.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

It is important to identify the goals of each student in order to identify the student's needs. Furthermore, by working with a student I am able to tell what areas they struggle with. I therefore know what we need to spend more time on.

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

Once I know the goal of a student, I can address my tutoring in order to satisfy that goal. If the student has a big test coming up, I know what we need to get done by that certain date.

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

I like to use practice problems, textbooks, practice tests, and my own problems.