What is your teaching philosophy?

I love asking students (of all ages) which subjects they most enjoy, which they least enjoy, and where they think they need the most help in order to empower them to be proactive participants in their tutoring sessions. Learners of all ages have subject matters that motivate and excite them, and I like to leverage those to engage students where subject matter may be less appealing or inspiring. If I know where a student's strengths are, we can apply those to areas that may present more of a challenge.

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

I would get an overview of the student's subject material, prior experience with the coursework, and goals for tutoring. In addition, I would go through at least 15-20 minutes of material to assess the student's learning style and any outstanding challenges.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

Find a way for that student to stay connected to the material through a personal interest - a way that it's relevant for him or her. Remind the student that progress is what's important (not perfection!) and that effort is valued.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

Help the student find a rhythm that works for him/her -- a paradigm that the student can follow with confidence -- and continue to build off of that basis of understanding.

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

I break the concept down into something more basic that can be mastered initially, and slowly build upon that, step by step.

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

One opportunity is to pick out characters, adjectives, and salient story points that can be anchors of understanding for the student. It's also important to ensure that comprehension isn't being hindered by vocabulary, which can sometimes be overwhelming for a beginning student. Complex vocabulary can be broken down into more simple verbs and descriptions.