What is your teaching philosophy?

Every student learns differently. As a tutor, is my job to pinpoint what teaching style is best suited for my client and adapt to their needs. I like obtaining feedback from my clients. If there is anything I can improve on as a tutor, I am happy to accommodate.

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

In a first session, I would focus goals. What is your reason for seeking a tutor? What do you hope to accomplish and how much time do we have to accomplish that goal together? After getting a good sense of what the student wishes to get out of our client-tutor relationship, we will conduct a diagnostic assessment to see what areas we need to allocate our time focus on. I am a firm believer in not wasting any time. I want every session to as helpful and rewarding as possible.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

Learning material for a subject you don't enjoy can be very difficult. I want to make learning new subjects a less daunting task by making it relatable. If students are able to relate to their lessons, they will naturally begin to approach it with more enthusiasm and confidence.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, I would begin by assessing the relative difficulty of the concept they are struggling to grasp. If it's a fairly easy topic, I will walk through it step by step. If it is an advanced concept, the student must first understand the foundations before we can look at the "big picture". We'd go back to the fundamental "smaller concepts" that make up this advanced skill - and focus on how these small concepts build on each other.

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

Students struggling with reading comprehension need to practice reading challenging material outside of tutoring hours. Practice makes perfect, after all. This trains your mind to critically analyze texts that you don't necessarily find interesting. The unfortunate truth is, most questions on standardized tests in the reading section are built around stories/prompts that weren't meant to be "fun to read" per se.

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

Periodic diagnostic assessments are a good way to see if students are understanding the material. I'd be able to see what areas need work, and what areas the student is doing strongly in.

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

You build a student's confidence in a subject by showing them that it doesn't require a special power to excel at it. It is important to recognize small achievements and celebrating big milestones.