What is your teaching philosophy?

Anyone can master any subject with enough time and the right teacher.

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

I ask the student what they think they are having issues with and work through some general practice problems to try and determine exactly what subjects need work.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

Teaching students that there is more than one way to approach problems and learn helps them become independent in their study habits.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

Tailoring tutoring such that a student is always making forward progress shows a student that they can learn what they are having issues with, allowing them to stay motivated.

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

I find that difficulty with a concept is often rooted in issues with an underlying concept. Therefore, shoring up fundamentals is often a first step in learning more advanced material.

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

To help with reading comprehension, I focus on vocabulary first to make sure the student is not missing crucial elements of the passage. I follow that with encouraging students to make summaries of each part of a passage that they can then link together in a broader context.

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

Communicating with a student to determine what they hope to achieve (both near and long term) and where they are finding difficulties I how I typically start working with a student. I also like to ask the student about their general interests and try to link them to the subject matter.

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

I try to link the subject matter to one of the student's interests.

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

I find having a student answer a question without any help is a good way to evaluate if they understand the subject.

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

Starting with simple question about the subject and building upon the knowledge base until the student can answer more difficult problems shows the student that they can master the subject and builds their confidence.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

Asking a student where they need help is where I always start. Comparing a student’s knowledge base to a practice test or syllabus is also a good way to determine where the student needs to focus.

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

Paying attention to where the student is having difficulty with certain types or parts of questions allows me to pivot the lesson as we identify new problem areas.

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

The materials I use depend on the student. I typically start out with practice tests while supplementing with drawings, summaries, and online videos as they are applicable.