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

I would ask them to identify a problem with their learning process, and then show them how to overcome it. Then I would present them with questions to verify if they can solve them independently.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

I will establish an understanding that learning is an essential skill, and mastering a certain topic/subject has many benefits beyond just getting a good grade. Then I will allow the student to experience the satisfaction of overcoming a problem on their own. I will then just have to reinforce this ideology occasionally to increase a student's independent ability.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

I would ensure that the sessions are easy to understand. I would try to understand the student's background and provide suitable anecdotes and analogies to help them see the bigger goal beyond just getting a good grade.

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

I would keep trying different approaches to see which one the student is most receptive to. Then I would break the process down into a series of smaller, easier steps, so that through mastery of the elementary steps, the student is able to overcome the difficulty.

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

I would do this by showing how easy the subject is to understand by first negating their negative perception of the subject. Then I would tie in how mastery of this subject will allow them to achieve their main goal.

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

1. By making sure the student has no deficiency in the prerequisite content required to understand the subject. 2. Allowing the student to learn at their own pace. 3. Constant reinforcing through question and answer sessions.

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

A whole range of them. The textbook, the Internet, a pen and lots of recycled paper.

What is your teaching philosophy?

To minimize academic doubt and fear within students by providing the right encouragement and knowledge.

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

I would teach them how to increase their vocabulary, and also to deduce the reasoning of a word, by analyzing previous and upcoming sentences.

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

Showing them how to do something, and then getting them to teach it back to you.

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

Verbal discussion and a quick written assessment.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

I've been a tutor for many years, and have found that students generally fit into a handful of categories. Once I identify which category they belong to, through discussion and trial assessment, I am able to determine how much assistance a student requires.

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

I adapt based on what the student needs based on my own experience, and also with feedback from the student. I usually change the pace and/or the mode of the lesson for the benefit of the student.