What is your teaching philosophy?

My philosophy is to teach in a way that challenges but does not overwhelm my students. I find that being patient and making sure students understand concepts fundamentally is crucial to success.

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

In a first session with a student, I would like to become familiar with the goals of the student. Together, we can construct realistic goals for the future. Additionally, during a first session I would like to become familiar with the material the student finds challenging so that I can prepare ahead for future lessons.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

I can help a student become an independent learner by helping with organizational skills. Strong organizational skills allow a student to become more efficient when studying.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

One way to help motivate a student is to make sure that they know they are improving. It is important to compliment the student when they improve and make progress. Additionally, it is important to remind the student of their goals. Setting smaller, more achievable goals can be very effective.

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

If a student is challenged by a concept, it is important to try to understand fundamentally what they are having difficulty with. At times like this, it is useful to spend more time with this concept as a way to be more thorough.

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

The best way to help would be to identify what issues they are having with comprehension. For example, it would be useful to determine if they are reading too fast or too slow. If they are misunderstanding key words and concepts with reading comprehension, it would be useful to review and practice those concepts.

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

It is important to let students know that I am committed to helping them succeed. Upon meeting a student, it is essential for me to show that I am making a great effort to help them achieve their goals. In turn, I often see that students will put their best effort forward as well.

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

Sometimes it is important to think outside of the box and come up with more fun and exciting ways to challenge a student. If the student is struggling with mundane material like lecture slides, perhaps it would be useful to talk concepts out in a more natural and interesting way.

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

One technique would be to have short assessments or quizzes before moving on to new material.

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

It is important to congratulate students when they make progress. It is important to let a student know when they are doing a good job. Not only will this make them feel good, but it will also build up their confidence.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

In order to evaluate a student’s needs, it is important to get a feel for their ability in early sessions. If it is determined that they need extra help on certain material, it is important be thorough.

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

Everyone learns in different ways. Therefore, it is oftentimes important to adapt to a teaching style a student finds compatible. What one student finds useful may not be useful for another. Therefore, it is important to teach a variety of techniques until one matches the learning style of the student.

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

It is important to use a variety of materials when tutoring. However, first it is important to get an idea of what materials would allow for efficient tutoring in a given subject. For example, in a certain session, using the textbook may be inefficient. Therefore, it may be more useful to use lecture slides or other class material.