What is your teaching philosophy?

Teaching is an experience, but learning is an adventure. Sometimes you may fall short or lose your path, but don't give up. If everything went easy it wouldn't be much of an adventure.

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

Ask the student about their own personal goals and motivations for the subject. Getting a sense of who they are as a whole and their academic prowess is paramount.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

Engaging the students with questions and encouraging them to ask questions of me. It is also important to encourage the students to look into other topics and materials that they find interesting. In this way we marry the course-defined expectations with their own interests.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

This is again dependent on the student, but I think it's important to show the student that they are making progress. Inclusion of periodic review of materials and relating the materials to other interests they have expressed I feel is important.

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

Relate the skill or concept to something that is more familiar to them. Analogies and real-world examples are often a good way to express complex concepts. Sometimes a student may just need a new approach, or to learn minor details that can help them not just learn but master a skill.