What is your teaching philosophy?

True learning is in comprehension, rather than mere retention of facts.

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

Get to know them of course, trying to learn strengths and weaknesses as well as personal interests. In short, figure out how best we can personalize our future sessions, whatever the subject.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

Loosely inspired by Socrates as I am, the goal of any teaching session is to help the student ultimately reach understanding of their material on their own. I try to guide them to the right path to the conclusion, and then ensure that they can replicate the process for other problems.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

It's all about playing to their goals and interests. If I can tailor lesson material to areas that interest and excite the student, then great. If not, focus on the goal at hand and approach it as a small step on that path. One has to learn a bit of the science behind aerodynamics and rifling in order to understand changes in warfare throughout the age of gunpowder.

If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, what would you do?

Some problems are just a matter of practice, but I also try to make sure that the student isn't having difficulty due to material or a process they've not quite mastered in previous material. Barring that, find some ways to reinforce with extracurricular material if possible, or attempt alternative learning methods, EG visual/material manipulative tools.

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

In my experience, practicing and enhancing vocabulary is typically an easy fix for such problems. Otherwise, note taking and outline-building from material students otherwise find dense has proven useful. The end goal in such a case is helping the student break difficult material into more digestible information.

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

I have a bit of a knack for making analogies and connections between subjects, so if I can tie the problem subject into something the student enjoys; be it another subject they like more, or a movie or book setting they particularly like; I'll do it. If all else fails, I'm not too proud to accept that sometimes a subject can't be made interesting, and can fall back on diverting the student's excitement from the prospect of success, completion of the material, etc., into the mountain they must surpass.

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

Depending on the student's level of performance and engagement, I would have them start with working through some practice material without any help from me to make sure they can do it on their own. The ultimate way to be certain, in my experience, is to have the student switch roles with me and teach the material back to me as if I were the student, and they the teacher.

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

Start from the bottom up! It's easier to cover weaknesses and gradually move forward once the student's favorite/most successful and least successful strategies for learning are established.

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

Give them opportunities to succeed, and a plan to follow should they waver. Usually all it takes to build confidence are simple practice questions and exercises.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

I usually try to have their feedback from school, and whatever stated needs the student knows of established beforehand. From there I can watch for signs of confidence or distress. My goal is for us to constantly communicate what they're feeling and thinking throughout the sessions, and look for what we can improve on.

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

I can change my teaching style based on what works well for them. I'm prepared to do anything to make sure they succeed, including having to do some extra learning of new strategies myself.

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

I usually use written or visual material based on the area of study, but I also have a good library of audiovisual material to recommend for students' enjoyment and edification outside of our sessions.