What is your teaching philosophy?

Help the student reach the answer on their own through the use of questions and examples.

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

Get to know them and their learning style. Find out what it is that they are struggling with and what they want to get out of tutoring.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

By teaching them tricks, making sure that they can always reach the answer on their own, and making sure they understand the key concepts.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

It depends on the student and what motivates them. Stickers don't work for everyone : ). Praise is always good, and looking back on the progress made is also a nice way to encourage students.

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

Break it down. Start with the most basic concepts and build on them until the student can incorporate everything into solving the problem. Also, lots and lots of practice.

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

Break it down. Start one sentence at a time. Ask questions that start out basic and build upon themselves so as to reach the final answer.

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

Getting right to work so that I can learn as much about the student's learning style and their needs as possible.

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

Outlining the benefits of the subject, its practical uses or the necessity of it. Also, enthusiasm is contagious, so the most important thing would be for me to show interest and excitement.

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

Review questions are the best way to do this, and the student must be able to answer them in his/her own words.

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

Analyzing the progress that they have made over time, and genuine praise.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

First of all, by asking them what they think they most need help with. And then, as I get to know them better and their learning style I will have to find their areas of weakness and help them to strengthen them.

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

Everyone has a different learning style. And there is always more than one way to explain something. It is also important to focus on what actually needs to improve, instead of just doing the things that come easily to the student.

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

It depends on the subject.