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

Introduce myself and let the students ask questions about me such as my educational background and teach experience. I would come to learn more about the student, the subject matter being studied, and where the student is experiencing difficulties. Meeting a common ground with the student is very important.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

With patience and confidence. Students who are not confident with their intellectual skills need not only to be understood; but also, patiently taught to be an independent critical thinker. In essence, teach the student to learn outside the box, and the student becomes an independent learner.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

Getting the student over their fears of the course is the first step. The second step is to get the student excited about the information being learned and how it fits into everyday life, as well as bringing in new information other than the text, and popping in a few learning games here and there.

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

I take the student back through the skill or concept and have the student immediately stop me when she or he gets to the information that is not understood. I need to know what is not understood, but not by saying, "What don't you understand?" That tells the student or myself nothing. I need the what and the why.

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

The student has to understand what is being asked or what is being read. Therefore, two major questions are needed -- "What is the information telling you?" or "What is the information asking you?" From there, the breakdown of the information begins, and the student begins to understand the comprehension process.

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

The method I find most successful is discovering the level of the student's knowledge. This can be done by asking a few simple questions from the text. Memory recall is critical. Targeting words that trigger the student’s memory is important to learning, as it is not the student's goal to memorize the text, but to get a thorough understanding of the material in order to move to the next learning level.

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

With time and patience. The fear of not understanding the subject weighs heavily on a student's self-esteem. When the student conquers their fears with encouragement and understanding, the processes of excitement and engagement begin.

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

There are games that can be played. One of my favorite is Business Jeopardy for all my classes I currently instruct. It is fun and works for all subjects. Plus, create comprehension and application questions, which could be in the form of quizzes.

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

Encouraging the student that others have done this too. Thus, there is no reason you cannot either.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

Sometimes students do not know what their needs are; thus, I have to decipher their needs. I create a basic quiz of the information to discover, once again, their learning comprehensive level. Also, by asking questions.

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

By listening to the student. Flexibility is a must when being a tutor.

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

I like to bring in outside information to assist the student in understanding the information. Getting a different perspective than just the text is a great aid to learning. In addition, the student keeps the information to reference for study purposes.