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

The student and I would work through some problems to help me understand where the student currently stands and how I can most effectively help them.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

I let students tackle problems and help them troubleshoot obstacles and misunderstandings throughout the process.

What is your teaching philosophy?

I want to help students become critical thinkers and creative problem solvers.

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

I would help by drawing an image to help them visualize the problem. I would also ask my student questions about the reading to make sure he understands.

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

I would talk about cross-applications the difficult subject has with the student's preferred field. I think students learn best when they are interested in the material they are learning.

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

I would ask my student to teach me how to do a sample problem. If a student can explain how to do something, he should be able to solve it as well.

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

Repetition, repetition, repetition, and more repetition. I want to make sure the student understands the material so, if it comes up in a different situation, he would know to apply the solution before to the new problem.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

I would ask the student to complete some sample problems from a variety of topics, and then see which areas did he did well in and where he needs some help.

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

I usually use the online whiteboard to tutor students. I use a tablet computer so I can easily write and do a problem with a student. I sometimes also solve problems on loose-leaf paper and show it to the student part by part.