What is your teaching philosophy?

I think the best teacher is one who conforms to their student's needs. Oftentimes, a teacher will teach in a manner that they assume is best rather than catering their style to their student's learning styles. Students range from visual, auditory, read-write, and kinesthetic styles. I make it my priority to identify each student’s style early on so that I can teach them in the most efficient manner.

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

I would try to identify the student’s particular struggles, what they hope to get out of each session, as well as attempt to determine their learning style.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

I think a good tutor doesn't just teach the material but rather helps the student to develop their own strategies. Once this is accomplished, the student is able to utilize those strategies even in the absence of the tutor. I believe a successful tutor is one who teaches their student in such a manner that they no longer need a tutor.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

I would try to identify why the student wants to succeed as well as the consequences of failure. I would then try to constantly instill these two ideas in the student, the rewards of success and the potential consequences of failure, in order to motivate them to push through.

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

First, I would try to identify why the student is struggling. Is it because of the difficulty of the material or the manner in which it's being taught? Oftentimes, it's the latter and not the former. If this is the case, I would try a difference approach to teaching the material. However, if it was the difficulty, I would try to break down the material into smaller, easier to understand, components.

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

The most critical aspect to reading comprehension is practice. There is really no easy fix. I would have sessions with the student in which we go over the reading material and establish strategies to understand and absorb the material.

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

Identifying the student’s goals and learning style are the most critical to success. Sometimes, the goals students set are overly ambitious and can set them up for failure. Setting smaller, more realistic goals which the student can meet allows them to succeed and fuels further success.