What is your teaching philosophy?

My teaching philosophy is to find a way to relate the subject matter to what motivates the student. Teaching is always optimized when the student is driven and interested in the subject. Finding connections between the student's interests and the subject at hand is a great way to start.

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

1. Get to know the student outside of the classroom to understand what motivates the student. 2. Tell the student about myself. 3. Discuss what the student's goals are for the tutoring sessions. 4. Start going over pertinent materials and problems to further understand where the student needs to improve.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

The first thing I would do is help the student believe in him or herself by proving that he or she can successfully learn the material. I would then describe the process of how I plan on helping the student understand his or her weaknesses, and how I plan on creating an agenda to help him or her attack them. By showing the student how to analyze him or herself and how to attack the issues, the student will be able to do so by him or herself in the future. I would also show the student how to find useful online resources, and even resources at local libraries, that can help the student in future areas of study.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

I would try to connect the subject that the student is being tutored in to something that motivated the student. In my past experiences tutoring, this has helped the student create inner motivation to study and do the necessary work, even if they are having trouble with the subject. I would also introduce the student to mobile and computer applications that help the student stay motivated by limiting access to distractions. Lastly, I would try to create a long-term goal with the student for them to aim toward achieving. Once they are motivated to achieve their long -term goal, they will be more likely to do all they can to do their best and study hard.

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

I would try to show them different methods of approaching problems and various ways at looking at concepts. I would also try to help the student connect the concept to something that they are motivated by, such as sports. Using analogies to daily life events is a great way to explain complicated topics to students that help them understand the topics better.

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

As a person who has struggled with reading comprehension before in the past, I have some experience with what test-taking methods and practice techniques worked for me. One piece of advice I have for students is to try reading something challenging just a little bit every day. When I was studying for my MCAT, I read an article from the Economist or the New York Times every day in order to try to hone in on my ability to synthesize the most important points from difficult writing. By working on raw skills like reading difficult material and even utilizing mobile applications to improve speed reading, students can increase reading comprehension. I would also advise students on ways to increase their reading speed, giving them more time to focus on understanding the passage and doing well on questions.