What is your teaching philosophy?

I believe that everyone has the capability to learn. It is the educator's priority and responsibility to reach every student and help them learn.

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

I would like to first get to know the student. The find out how the student learns best (visually, auditorially, or tactically) and exactly what it is the student is having difficulty with.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

I can help a student become an independent learner by teaching the students study skills, and skills to use in the classroom to better understand what is happening.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

It is important to maintain the student's interest throughout all topics. Interest is a very good motivator. Other than interest, a very good motivator is the satisfaction a student feels after mastering a topic.

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

I would show many different ways to apply the concept and learn the skill. There is always more than one way to learn everything.

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

Making connections to the world, to other books, and to oneself is one of the easier ways to ease into reading comprehension. Connecting our experiences to what we're reading is how we are able to understand what we are reading.

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

Combining the different ways the student learns is best. Not only verbally teaching, but having visuals and something concrete to show the concept to the student allows the concept to be solidified in the student's mind.

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

I would connect the subject to something the student is interested in. If that is not possible (it's almost always possible), connecting it to a concept the student has already mastered will allow the student to see that this is something s/he can learn.

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

Having many different ways to assess whether the student has understood the material is key. Not only having the student state what was taught, but also provide an example, draw it, apply it to something else, and so on.

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

This can be done by showing the student all of the concepts the student already understands and has mastered. By demonstrating that a specific concept is only one of many that student has already learned.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

I usually have the student explain to me what they believe is to be completed within an assignment or how to answer a question. This allows me gauge what the student understands and where and what the student seems to have difficulty with.

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

I do my best to reach the student how they learn best. If a student learns best hands-on, I will have more hands-on activities to support the student's learning ability. The same applies for students who learn best visually or in any other manner.

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

I do my best to have materials that are relevant to the topic, concept, and grade level of the student I am working with.