What is your teaching philosophy?

If you learn a concept on how to approach a problem, you will both find answers and discover the types of problems you want to solve in life.

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

I'd introduce myself, discuss learning styles and study habits, establish goals, and figure out ways to achieve them within our constraints.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

By teaching them concepts to build a framework to work out new problems in. Solving new problems independently repeatedly then builds confidence, which leads to being an independent learner.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

I'd learn why a student wants to do well in a particular subject or field in the first place. I'd show why learning that subject will help them achieve their goals. I'd hold them accountable.

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

I'd figure out why they are having difficulty. Is it my teaching style? Do they have enough background knowledge to learn the skill or concept? Are they adequately motivated? Would it be easier to tackle that subject later? Or, perhaps, are they having difficulty simply because it's difficult and they need more time?

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

I'd answer practice questions after reading more often. After pinpointing what is causing them to struggle, address that issue, and then continue practicing to build their confidence.

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

Establishing goals at the start, coming up with a plan with how to schedule future sessions, and having contingency plans should things change along the way. Communication is paramount for success.

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

I'd help the student see why the subject is important. Alternatively, after the student masters the subject and is no longer struggling, achieved through lots of practice, the student could be motivated by their ability to overcome a seemingly insurmountable obstacle.

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

The student would have to first solve problems with less and less guidance from me, solve gradually more difficult problems, and then finally solve a difficult problem with frequent questions from me to check that they understand it thoroughly. They would then need to be assessed again later to make sure that they retained the material, as well.

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

A student needs lots of exposure to a subject in order to master it. To build confidence, they need to learn how to solve problems or how to talk about a subject eloquently in order to build confidence. By doing this with greater and greater ease, a student can build confidence through understanding the concepts, using this understanding to solve problems and communicating effectively on the subject.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

I first have to hear from the student what they feel their needs are, and, afterwards, I need to assess their needs through careful observation of how effectively they can learn and absorb material based on how they interact with the material, be it through presentation, active problem solving, or through occasional unsupervised efforts.

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

By understanding the student's learning style, goals, motivation level, current experience in a subject, schedule, and a host of other factors, I adapt to my students' needs in order to give them the best experience. If the student doesn't understand a topic after working with me, I am the only one to blame, and I have to adapt in order to do my job effectively.

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

It depends on the subject, but I will use screen sharing and upload some things that I have found in online resources or things that I have written by hand, such as practice problems, for the student that I am tutoring.