What is your teaching philosophy?

In some ways, a teacher or tutor is mainly a role model, someone who sets an example of how to be curious and how to learn. We all have different interests, and we all have different abilities. I know that all students I interact with have unique interests and skills that may be different from mine, which is great. It’s not my job to force you to be interested in Charles Dickens’s novels. It is my job to show you the important mechanics involved when reading, analyzing, being critical, and forming an argument.

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

It depends on what the student would like help with. One thing that I always do in a first session is get as much information as possible. I’d like to know what you need help with, what you are already good at or interested in, what you don't really like studying, etc. I don't have a cookie-cutter set of procedures, but I can provide as much structure to lessons as necessary.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

I have given presentations to teachers about the steps involved in critical thinking. I have developed a three-step process that can be applied to any type of reading, and any type of assignment or project. Once students understand the foundation of analyzing, criticizing, evaluating, and forming a point of view, they are better independent learners.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

When having difficulties with learning something it often helps to break up the task into smaller parts. Also, there may be a few preliminary steps that were skipped or rushed through. It helps to take a step back and make sure the foundational understanding is there, then move on to take on a difficult task piece by piece.

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

There are multiple ways to improve reading comprehension. I teach a process. This means that there are steps that we can go through before reading something, different ways to read, and steps we can go through during and after reading. If these procedures are not working for a student, I also do not hesitate to find alternative ways of reading. Personally, I have used things like listening to audio books, finding YouTube videos that explain the reading, and listening to lectures by the author or an expert on the reading. There are many ways to enhance, reinforce, or work around a lack of comprehension.

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

One thing that helps to motivate students when they are struggling is to learn about why we have to do certain things, or why we have to learn certain things. I know a lot about the history of schools and teaching, and I'm aware that schools are not only there to make sure every person has a chance to succeed in life. There are fascinating reasons why students have to do some of the things they do in schools. To learn some of the history and the tangential training that is going on is interesting and can rekindle interest.

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

Students almost always understand way more about a subject than they realize. There are connections that can be made between seemingly unconnected subjects, for example. I try to help students realize that they actually know something already about a subject, and they just may be used to thinking about certain subjects in a limited or prescribed way. Realizing that they are not starting from zero is helpful.

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

My first step when working with a student is to find out what you know. I will ask you to show me or tell me what you can do or know already. During and after this first step, I figure out how much you know and where gaps are in your knowledge or current abilities.

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

One sure way to make sure a student understands the material is to work on it from a few different angles. This means the student can answer questions about it, explain it in a few different ways, draw a simple diagram or picture of it, or write it. One example I have used is to have students draw a simple picture of the academic essay structure, labeling all the parts.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

Evaluating a student's needs is both a two-way discussion between the student and me, and a major part of what I have been doing for many years as a teacher. The student knows to some extent what they need to work on. With my experience working with many different types of students, I can also notice and help students realize other areas they can work on.

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

The technique I use most to adapt to a student's needs is to have them give me as much input as possible. I do not have set lessons that I drag out and teach without fully knowing what the student understands and needs. I first listen to students, look at their work, and ask about their experiences.