What is your teaching philosophy?

I believe in using many resources; visual, auditory, or hands on. The more a student is able to relate to the information they are learning, the better they can retain it.

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

Assess strengths and weaknesses! Ask the STUDENT what they feel they need help on and what they are confident about. It’s important to know where the student stands and where the student needs to go.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

Developing good study habits and critical reading skills can help a student learn on their own. The way to mastering any topic is being able to teach it. The better a student is at explaining a topic, the more independent a learner they will become.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

Make long time and short time goals. Create your own reward system. Why do you want to succeed? This is what will motivate students to work hard.

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

Ask them what about the topic they don't understand. Then try explaining the topic in a different method than the first time.

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

Go back to the basics. Identify any key issues and help them identify any questions they should be asking themselves while reading. Come up with a strategy.

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

Have the student explain to you what they already know to you, and then have them explain what they want to get out of the tutoring sessions.

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

Find something that the student enjoys and relate it to that topic. Bring it into a real-world scenario, and show the student why the topic is exciting and why it’s important.

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

I would have the student teach me the topic in their own words to make sure they understand the material, as well as test them over it using practice problems.

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

Continue to show them their progress. That will motivate the student to work harder and be more confident.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

Listen to the student. This 1 on 1 time is for the student, so it is important to hear how the student best learns and what they struggle with.

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

It’s important to be flexible and bring many resources to the table.

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

I like using videos, text material, drawings and diagrams, and any resources brought by the student.