What is your teaching philosophy?

I want to meet students where they're at. I think that each student is an individual with unique needs and goals, and my aim is to make sure to accommodate the needs of all students. I love learning and teaching, and will go above and beyond to make sure that each student understands the material.

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

A first session with a student might involve finding out what kind of a learner they are (visual, auditory, hands-on, etc.) so that I know what type of materials will work best for them. I would also get a better picture of what the student's objectives are, and ask to see some concepts that they've found challenging (either now or in the past). Depending on the subject, I might do some assessments to see where they are at with a particular topic. My first sessions are about finding out where a student is, where they need to be, and how I can best get them there.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

I think that making students acutely aware of their progress is vital to them feeling motivated. I think it's hard for students to realize just how much progress they've made and are making if they're feeling frustrated with something. I'll make sure my students are very aware of concepts that they excel in, as well as growth they've made. I will also give them tangible steps to succeed in any concepts they might be struggling with, which will likely make the concept feel less overwhelming. In this way, it will be easier for students to get motivated and stay motivated. I will also help them to realize how their long-term goals are tied to the concepts they're learning now, helping to give them a bigger picture idea of their learning.

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

I would try to drill down to the fundamentals of the concept to see what it is exactly that they're struggling with. Oftentimes that involves assessments and discussing the concept with the student. If a student is struggling with multiplication, for example, their scores might show a lack of understanding of addition, something that you need to know before moving onto a more advanced topic. I would teach them whatever fundamentals they might need to move onto more advanced skills. In addition, I would make sure that my tutoring was tailored to their individual learning style. Finally, I would try as many different ways of teaching it as possible. There are several different ways to learn most concepts, and I would make sure that I was trying as many as possible to get through to the student.

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

I would use strategies to teach reading comprehension, like making students monitor their own understanding, connecting ideas in a text to what they already know, using graphic organizers like Venn diagrams and cause/effect to help students see what they're reading, modeling strategies for students, etc. There are many strategies to help students with reading comprehension, and I would be sure to use as many as possible and as necessary to help my students succeed!

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

I think it's important to reframe a topic in terms of how it is relevant to a student's future goals. If a student is focused on how frustrating a subject is, they might not realize that it is vital to their future career goal. I think understanding a student and helping them to realize how a subject can help them helps to reinvigorate them and get them excited/engaged about a previously challenging topic. I also think that highlighting a student's success, not only focusing on their struggles, will help to get them refocused.