What is your teaching philosophy?

I believe anyone can learn anything; it just takes proper instruction, some effort, and then plenty of practice. What usually causes problems for students is instruction that is too fast, or that doesn't give adequate time and space for questions to ensure understanding, or lack of individual practice. For this reason, I find one-on-one tutoring to be the ideal learning environment -- the entire goal is for this one student to learn, understand, and practice.

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

The first session will start with setting goals. I will want to know what general skills you need to gain, and what problems you are currently having. I'll also give you some diagnostic questions to figure out what you know so far and what you are missing. Then we can set goals and a schedule and get started! And of course we will start working on any pressing assignments or questions that you have right away as well.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

I consider one of my jobs as a tutor (or coach) is to show students *how* to study, and *how* to find much of the information they need on their own. I do this by consistently modeling the processes for the student, and explaining step by step what I am doing or where I am finding certain information. I always hope for my students that after our sessions are done, that they can apply these same methods to other future study needs they may have.

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

Once it seems that a student understands how to find the correct answers, I let them try a few questions on their own and see how they do. I also like to switch roles and ask the student to teach me what they just learned. I have found that this way helps the student retain what they have learned so much better than just listening!

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

I start by breaking down intimidating topics to small, easier-to-complete steps, so that the process feels so much easier to manage. We practice the steps together, and then I let the student practice bit by bit on their own. As students find themselves getting correct answers more and more often, confidence follows quickly behind!