What is your teaching philosophy?

Respect and understanding must be mutual between students and teachers.

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

Ask the student about what they like to do outside of school.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

Each student is different, and should therefore be introduced to a plethora of studying techniques to choose which technique best fits his/her individual needs.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

I encourage students to take several measures in order to stay motivated. A few of these include making achievable goals, taking breaks when necessary, and incorporating fun activities into learning.

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

I would relate the difficult concept in terms that the student can understand, and intersperse the teaching of said concept with one of the student’s stronger skill-sets in order to instill confidence.

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

I help students improve reading comprehension by performing practical exercises alongside them. In this manner students can be shown how to discern irrelevant words and phrases from those central to the author’s central argument.

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

Allow the student to feel comfortable by engaging in conversation suited to the interests of the students. Only when a student is comfortable enough to be themselves can they put aside any preoccupations that may inhibit their ability to learn.

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

If a student was struggling in a particular subject, I would encourage them by breaking the subject down to the fundamental level, identifying the source of the student's confusion, and working to rebuild the student’s perception of the subject with exercises and positive reinforcement.

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

Back briefs are key to ensuring that a student has retained the information presented in a lesson. In a back brief, a student verbally summarizes the central message or theme to a particular lesson at the conclusion of the lesson.

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

I like to give students a diagnostic test at the beginning of his/her tutoring. At incremental points in time throughout the course of a few months, I have them retake these tests in order to see their marked improvement, which helps them gain confidence going forward.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

By what they tell me.

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

Rapidly.

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

Pen and paper.