What is your teaching philosophy?

I believe that real success comes from the student's personal achievement with the material. The most powerful learning happens when students face challenging or difficult material, and confidently use the understanding of concepts and tools they have to find answers.

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

Discuss the subject material to discover what exactly it is that they are struggling with, discuss possible plans for success, and get started!

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

Give students learning tools and strategies that will help them continue to succeed on their own, helping them take control of their own learning experience.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

I would set goals for success at the beginning of the session, and work towards those goals with reminders of the student's progress along the way.

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

Provide some personal experience with the material or, if appropriate, use examples of the concept that they will see in their own life.

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

For most topics, there are many simple questions that can be used as conceptual checks. These questions have easy answers if the student has a working understanding of the concept, but are very difficult if the student does not understand the concept.

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

Practice problems! Students seeing firsthand that they have the ability to succeed is a huge confidence booster.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

Discussing their struggles with the material they are learning at length provides an accurate understanding of what it is exactly that they need and how I can help.

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

Teaching reading strategies using meta-cognitive habits, like asking and answering questions about what they are reading as well as restating and summarizing material they have read.