What is your teaching philosophy?

I believe learning needs to be individualized for students based on their unique needs, motivations and experiences. I strive to achieve this goal by developing strong relationships and tailoring my instruction to each student.

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

I will typically spend time getting to know the student personally, as well as understanding academic strengths and weaknesses. I use this information to tailor a plan for specific to the student’s needs.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

I believe developing motivation and subject-based skills are more important than simply memorizing content knowledge. My goal is to generate interest and confidence in a subject by helping students grow.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

By helping students experience success in a challenging area and by connecting subject work to the real world, I help my students stay motivated.

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

I would break the problem down into smaller parts, and scaffold instruction to support the student's incremental learning. I would continually assess progress to ensure the skill or concept is being mastered.

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

I have experience working with struggling readers. I would employ both modeling and a variety of reading strategies to encourage active reading and note-taking.

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

I have found that initial assessment of the challenges combined with the formulation of an individualized plan leads to success.

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

I would try to connect the content to the student’s interests and personal experiences.