What is your teaching philosophy?

My teaching philosophy is to ensure that a student is confident in his or her skills. This is accomplished by helping the student learn from his or her mistakes, encouraging the student to ask questions when he or she does not understand, and having the student apply the concept in multiple ways.

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

I would like to get to know the student's interests both in school and outside of school. I would use this to later shape lessons to best suit the student.

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

I take shorter passages and have the student practice varying strategies, such as marking up the passage, finding evidence for an answer, and thinking about how the student relates personally to the reading.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

Encourage the student to apply the concept across multiple modalities in multiple settings. Encourage the student to explain his or her thinking in applying the concept.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

I find what motivates the student. What are his or her interests? I then apply these to the subject he or she is working on.

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

Ensure that the foundational skills of that concept or skill are in place. If not, I will take time to teach these skills so that the student can more easily grasp the more advanced skill later.

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

Encouragement, having the student explain his or her thinking, including manipulatives and applying concepts to real life situations.