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

During a first session, I would spend the first 5-7 minutes getting to know one another. How they feel they learn best and how they study to establish a tutoring and working style that is best suited for the student. We would discuss what they believe their strengths and weakness to be and how they are currently doing overall. We would discuss and establish a goal for the week and a goal for the end of the year or the exam (if this were a school aged student, I would speak with the student alone, as well as with the parent and student). We would then work on practice problems and/or questions followed by reviewing them. The last 3 mins of the session, we would discuss how they felt, if there was anything they really liked or disliked, and if there was anything that they wanted to specifically work on next session (if this is a school aged student, I would speak with them and also speak with both parent and student).

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

When I first begin working with a student, I believe it is important to establish goals, both short term and long term. I also ask the student to make a list of what they believe they are having trouble with and what they are great at doing. I then give them a small assessment, just doing some practice questions to see and understand what methods they use to answer the questions; do they give up if it’s hard, do they become less confident, or are they asking me of help? I then go over the assessment with them and see how they did and how they go over the material and accept the feedback. We then come up with a plan and, at times, a study calendar. If they are a school aged student, I would also speak with the parents and see what they think, how they feel, and what their goals they want their child to achieve.

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

If a student is struggling with a subject and is not as excited or engaged, I try to teach it in a way that they can relate to or be excited about. If a student loves basketball and hates History, I come up with games that we can "play" while we are actually studying. Once you can get a student engaged and excited again about a subject, you can get them to do better, build their confidence, and work on different study strategies as time progresses.

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

To ensure a student is understanding the material, I ask probing questions to elicit a response, I often ask "Why" to make sure they know why they answered the way they did and were not just giving an answer. I do role reversals and ask them to explain it to me as though I did not know the topic. At times, students understand a concept only when it is given as a definition, for instance, but do not necessarily understand the application of the word. I provide practice questions for them to do during the session and may give a mini quiz. I ask questions in different formats; at times, it may require a written response or a verbal response. I may give a multiple-choice question.

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

I build a student’s confidence by making sure to acknowledge their success. Allowing a student to finish their sentence, answer, or thought entirely instead of interrupting multiple times to point out what may have been wrong. Once they have finished, then we can discuss what they said and ask them what they thought or felt about their response and make corrections together. Working with the student and allowing him/her to set short term attainable goals and acknowledging their success. When it is possible, I give the student the opportunity to choose which topic we will review. When we are starting a topic, I begin by activating their previous knowledge, making it easier for them to connect what they already know with what they are going to learn. This makes the new topic feel less frightening. I also break down the Unit or topic into smaller sections so they will not feel overwhelmed.