What is your teaching philosophy?

I believe in a student-centered teaching philosophy. It's important to learn a student's preferred learning style and then tailor the lessons from there.

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

In a first session, I would provide a learning style inventory, learn their strengths and weaknesses, and their goals for future tutoring sessions. I'd also like to get to know them as a person.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

Providing students with the resources and tools to learn and practice the skills on their own.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

Incentives are important, but they need to be tied to both short-term and long-term goals that the student helps create. Keeping the information and lessons relevant to students is also important, so they use of videos can be helpful.

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

I would try and figure out where the disconnect is occurring and try teaching it another way. Repetition of the skill can also be helpful.

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

To help a student with reading comprehension it's important to realize where they are having the struggles. Providing graphic organizers and having students provide summaries of sections of the reading can be helpful.

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

I think it is important to build rapport. It's also important to determine learning styles. If a student is a kinesthetic learner then activities should be different than if they were a visual learner.

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

I think it is important to make it relevant to them. Providing activities or videos that relate to the student can be very beneficial when building their engagement.

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

I think formative assessments can be helpful. Having the student complete a quick assessment that measures their understanding. If they are missing questions then that helps show what needs to be retaught.

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

It's important to start out with realistic and attainable goals. If a student is struggling in math then you shouldn't expect them to get every question right. Start small and then celebrate the successes.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

Using summative and formative assessments can be very helpful in evaluating needs. Communicating with students and possibly even parents can be key.

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

It's important to use lessons and activities that match the student's learning style. It's also important to keep track of the student's age and make sure the information is age-appropriate.

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

Flashcards, videos, songs, highlighters, timers, formative and summative assessments, and reading material are all useful materials.