What is your teaching philosophy?

I believe that the best way to teach someone is to serve as his or her guide. By showing them the path to the answer or knowledge and helping them get to the end, they retain more than just someone telling them what to do.

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

I would make them feel comfortable working with me and then proceed into finding what they are having difficulty with. After that, I would be able to move into working with the student to find the most effective way to not only overcome the difficulty, but work on making it a strength.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

I will help them by finding out the source of their difficulties and, once identified, teach them strategies to be able to work out and comprehend new subject material as it is taught to them.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

When a student hits a roadblock, I would relate to them by sharing an experience I have had in a similar situation and how it's possible to not only overcome it, but to conquer it. By changing the feeling of despair and helplessness into motivation and drive, it will help the student with future setbacks.

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

I would see where the source of the difficulty came from, and try a different approach that looks at that specific part in a different way. Normally when people can see a problem from a different perspective, it helps them with comprehension and increases problem solving abilities.

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

I would suggest strategies that I use, such as annotating, noting important passages, or have them read a section then help them summarize it in their own words. By having them think critically about the passage they are reading, they are more likely to understand and retain what they have read.

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

I have found that being able to relate to students’ problems inspires them in their work initially because it makes the problem seem not only manageable, but something they can overcome and master. This gives momentum for not only overcoming immediate problems, but also problems down the road.

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

I would show or tell them an interesting breakthrough/phenomenon/application/anecdote related to the subject material in order to make them interested in learning more about the subject. For example, if it was for history, relate to them a story about a figure/event during the time period.

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

A method that I personally find successful is after a student is able to successfully solve a problem on his or her own, have him or her be able to walk me through or teach me the same material. Being able to teach someone else material is one of the best ways to show comprehension.

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

I build a students confidence through tackling large problems/ difficulties by breaking them up into simpler and more manageable parts. By turning what initially seems to be an insurmountable obstacle into manageable and easy steps, it makes the student believe that all problems are solvable when analyzed and broken down.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

I evaluate students’ needs by having them walk me through their thought process when addressing a problem area. Looking at a wrong answer or accepting an "I don't know" response only tells you there is a problem, not what the problem is. By getting into the thought process of a student, I can better see where and what the problem is and how to augment the thought process to overcome future problems.

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

I adapt my tutoring to the students’ needs by addressing the areas of concern before starting. Jumping into a session, especially in sessions early on with a new student, without understanding/ being familiar with the student can be wasteful of time if the student isn't receptive to a method. Every student has a different way that they will learn best, and it is my job to find that method and use it.

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

For in-person tutoring, I personally find that traditional paper and pencils best allow me to demonstrate thoughts for my students. However, for certain subjects bringing in supplementary reading material or problems have been successful for me. For online tutoring I find that using Google Docs to summarize lessons, give examples, and list strategies is helpful to the student to serve as a reference point as well as to be built off of later on.