What is your teaching philosophy?

Every student has a different method of learning. Some learn best by reading, others discussion. Some are auditory learners, others visual or kinesthetic. Finding a student's personal method of knowledge acquisition is crucial to help that student achieve his or her personal goals and develop a passion for learning. In this, students should be encouraged to learn on their own terms; instructors should provide new ideas and challenge students to personally and critically engage these ideas.

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

I usually want to get to know the student first, both in terms of his or her goals as well as aspects of their learning style. What do they like to do in school? What about hobbies or free time? How do they prefer to learn? I also encourage students to ask me questions, get to know me. If we feel comfortable with one another and understand each other it makes for an easier dialogue and happier learning environment.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

The key to becoming an independent learner is largely about discovering what type of learning works best for any one students. When we encounter new information, we can choose how to engage it. Understanding how you, as a student, personally engage and explore information is key. If you are able to learn on your own terms and process new concepts in a way that works for you it will be much easier to push yourself to learn independent of the classroom. It's all about understanding your own personal relationship with education.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

I think that for students to stay motivated they need to have personal goals. Whether they be short term or long term, if a student has a target they want to reach, motivation is easier. If a student has trouble finding that target, the best thing to do is have an honest conversation about what they want, or don't want, and see if a student's passion can be funneled into learning by taking a new approach. It is different for everyone, but if a student has a purpose, or finds personal interest in a subject, motivation comes easier.

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

Every student acquires knowledge differently. For many students, the methods employed is a standard classroom environment don't mesh with a student's particular style. In in instance where a student has trouble grasping a concept, I would try to draw from that student's personal interests or areas of knowledge they are comfortable with the find an approach that better suits that student's strengths. For example, we could restructure a concept using terms or examples more familiar to the student to encourage comprehension, then taking that comprehension and reverting it to the original form.

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

The best thing to do for reading comprehension is to take it slow. Read slowly, focus on key words, or isolate each sentence, understand it individually, and then understand meaning of the sentences together as a whole. If this method doesn't help the student, we could also reverse engineer the sentence, learn to skim for context, use notation to mark key ideas, etc. If a student can build a 'toolbox' of sorts, employing different strategies they have learned over time, they can develop a process that they are comfortable with.

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

The best strategies depend on the student and their learning style. Among of the most successful I have seen though are the ones that encourage students to draw inspiration or parallels from a subject or activity they are already passionate about. For example, if a student is having trouble with economics, but is interested in pop culture, searching for an example of an economic concept in the pop culture landscape can allow the student to access the topic in a format that is more interesting to them, and may be more likely to retain it.

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

Trying to connect a student's preexisting passions and strengths to a subject they may not enjoy as much can help them engage further. It allows a student to play to their strengths. Alternatively, if a student understands their personal goals within a subject, or how a difficult topic in the subject relates to a more enjoyable one, they may be more inspired to delve further and push themselves.

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

The best way for a student to demonstrate their knowledge of the material is to present or explain that material in their own words. A good method can be role reversal, where the student plays the role of the instructor and the instructor the student. If a student can correctly teach the topic to another person, they likely grasp the topic well. For more advanced students/topics, a good method can be to take the material they have learned and present it in a format unfamiliar to how it was taught. When students can still solve problems or explain answers using concepts or materials, despite not being familiar with the format said materials and concepts are presented in, it indicates that the student understands the material at an advanced level.

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

Practice, practice, practice. The more a student prepares for a subject and the more they are exposed to it the more familiar they become with the material. They key to remember though is that all students learn different concepts at different speeds. One student may learn literary concepts quickly but struggle to memorize mathematical equations. Another student may experience the opposite. Students need to understand that if they don't understand a concept at first they shouldn't worry. It doesn't mean it is impossible, it just means that they might want to try a different approach. Most of all, a student should never feel bad if they don't get something on the first try. Rome wasn't built in a day, and some of the most intelligent people in history made disastrous mistakes before they got to the right answer.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

Talk to the student. Learn where they feel confident, where they feel they need more help. Learn their strengths and weaknesses, what they like and dislike about different subjects. Learn their perspective, and through what students say and demonstrate in the classroom find a way to support their current knowledge of a subject or concept. If a student seems unsure of their needs, have them talk you through a subject to find where the student is certain of himself or herself and where they falter a bit. Test scores and marks can be helpful, but understanding a student's needs can only come from learning more about that student.

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

The best way to adapt your methods is to play to a student's strengths. Every student has their own style, and all material can be modified to some degree to fit that style. To find a student's style can be to speak with them and learn which learning activities and subjects they respond best to, if the student is drawn for towards qualitative or quantitative learning methods, etc. This can be a process of trial an error, but the key is to keep adapting by incorporating techniques that have proven successful until we find a method with which the student feels comfortable.

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

While it depends on the subject, it is always important to have the textbook, text, prompt, assignment, etc., on hand as a starting point. Different students respond to different materials, so there is always a certain degree of adaptation. Some of the most helpful in my experience though have been visual tools, so I always have blank paper and writing utensils on hand to help students.