What is your teaching philosophy?

My teaching philosophy is to work with students in any way that is beneficial to success and retention of material. This may include reviewing test taking strategies or covering strategies on how to overcome test taking anxiety. Teaching material is rarely a straight road.

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

In a first session it is important to know a student's goals, ability, and to get to know each other.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

Boosting confidence and setting up a regular study schedule are both key to being an independent learner.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

Looking at the test as actual valuable information that you will use later on in life can be a source of motivation. For other students, treating the test like a game might be enticing to keep learning.

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

If a student has difficulty with a particular concept, I can offer more material for review, break it down, or suggest strategies that will make the material more accessible.

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

Looking for clues and circling them can be helpful to organize information in reading passages, as well as summarizing each paragraph during the test. Increasing reading time of various content at home might also improve comprehension.

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

Analyzing strengths and weaknesses is key to figuring out what I need to work on with a student. Also, assessing a student's particular learning needs is essential.

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

By showing students that the material is workable and accessible by breaking it down to simple concepts is helpful to make students more engaged. It is also helpful to demonstrate to students how this information is useful in other contexts besides the test they are about to take.

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

Ensuring students reach a high score and other forms of assessment help me understand how much a student has retained, as well as discussing content in depth. Listening to students carefully and explaining clearly are key as well, taking my time to make sure a student feels comfortable with the material.

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

A student's belief in his or her ability is very important, so I focus on developing emotional intelligence by breaking down difficult content to simple concepts and building on that. Once a student sees progress, he or she naturally gains confidence.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

A student's needs are often communicated in subtle ways that students may not be aware of consciously. I listen carefully to what students tell me about their learning process and know to catch any clues they give about what works for them best, and then develop a study schedule based on what they have communicated.

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

Depending on a student's needs, I ensure that I find strategies to fit their learning style, address their weak areas, and that the student feels comfortable with a learning schedule.

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

I use test review materials with an answer key, a dictionary, a laptop, a grammar handbook, a timer, and basic writing materials.