What is your teaching philosophy?

My philosophy is centered around the core concept of teaching children how to be problem solvers. They need to know how to approach and think about any given problem. It is okay to make mistakes, as they are learning opportunities. Persistence and confidence in oneself as a learner are the key skills to ensure success in life.

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

I would get to know the student, including their interests and feelings towards learning different subjects. From there I would assess their skills, typically in the form of an activity or even a game, to determine where our instruction should begin.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

Students become independent learners when they are confident in their abilities. I would start by modeling how I would approach and solve a problem or task. Then we would practice several additional examples together. From there, I would let the student try some on their own. If the student is struggling, I would reteach where I feel there are misconceptions, or teach the student another strategy for solving the task on hand. Once the student is able to show mastery, I would know they are on the path to becoming an independent learner.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

Positive praise is huge to helping students stay motivated. I also use different rewards systems (depending on the interests and learning styles of the student) to help them stay engaged and motivated in the lesson.

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

I would use a different approach or method to see if that helps. Every child learns differently, and there are different methods of instruction and various resources to best support each child.

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

There are numerous strategies to aid students with reading comprehension. Here are some of my favorites: -Visualize what you are reading in your head -Make connections with the text -Ask yourself questions while you read -Think aloud during reading -Inferring using context clues -Determining important information For each strategy, I would first model explicitly for the student. Then we would practice several times together before allowing the student to try it on their own.

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

I've found that developing a relationship with the student is key. They need to know that you take interest in them, and that you care about them. They also need to know your expectations and routines during tutoring sessions. Having a positive and energetic attitude is also important. When students see that you are excited to teach the content at hand, it helps them develop a positive attitude towards learning.

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

I love games, and am always coming up with a game or activity to make the content more exciting!

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

There are tons of ways to check understanding. Here are some of my favorites! -Quick checks -Exit tickets -Explain it to me -Questioning

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

Building confidence starts with knowing it is okay to make mistakes. Then I would start instruction at the very beginning of whatever the content is and make sure each step is mastered before moving on. Giving students numerous ways to solve a problem is a big helper too. Above all, keeping a positive attitude, and frequent encouragement and praise helps students feel confident in their learning.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

When evaluating a student's needs, I begin with some sort of pre-assessment. From there I am able to determine any gaps in their learning and develop a plan for further instruction. This also includes assessing their learning style, so that we can find a method of instruction that matches how they best learn.

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

Once I have determined how the student learns best, I would adapt my teaching methods to match their needs. As an educator, I know that flexibility is key. This might even mean adapting my lesson on the spot if I see that there is a gap in their learning that needs to be addressed.

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

I love using hands-on materials and lots of visuals. Whiteboards and markers and key components for every lesson. I also frequently use technology resources during instruction. Here are some other examples that I would use: For a math lesson I would use manipulatives such as: -ten frames -counters -number lines -ten wands -etc. For a reading lesson I would use: -leveled readers -letter tiles -sentence frames -thinking maps to organize information -story frames -vocabulary cards -etc.