What is your teaching philosophy?

Learning should be fun and interactive. I structure my lessons by imparting some basic knowledge and then asking leading questions so that my student can try to figure out the answers. I encourage my students to use visualization skills to picture math concepts in their mind's eye.

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

Typically, during my first session I get to know my student by asking questions to determine his or her weak areas, so that I know the topics where to concentrate in future sessions.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

I can help a student become an independent learner by encouraging them to follow my example. I am not embarrassed to tell my student that I don't know the answer to a question, which gives me an opportunity to show how I do the research.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

Motivation is best if it is internalized rather than performing a task in exchange for rewards. I do this by explaining the rationale for understanding the subject matter and how it's mastery can benefit the student in a job or daily living activity.

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

As a math tutor, I explain a difficult concept by initially using examples using basic numbers. For example, I would substitute real numbers for variables in an algebraic equation.