What is your teaching philosophy?

Past performance and a test-run during the first session. Talking to them and/or their parent(s) is a great way to gain perspective.

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

Learn more about their studying methods and how it's reflected in class performance.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

Finding ways for the student to maximize their understanding of the material through various memorization and cognitive "hacks."

How would you help a student stay motivated?

Reminding them that no one is perfect-- everyone has difficulty in something. Whatever subject they do not perform well in can become their greatest strength.

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

Use myself as an example, and try to illustrate it. Maybe the student has better visual learning than auditory learning.

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

"The better you understand something, the more you know. Who doesn't want to know more?"

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

Test them on the concepts that we have gone over in the beginning. It's always easier to recall recent information, so by starting with the earliest topic, I can see if they have stored it in LTM.

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

I look for what they have the hardest time dealing with and focus on that.

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

Pen and paper. Illustrations and flowcharts help a lot of students ingrain complex structures of information.

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

I would help them improve their vocabulary and run through a series of passages so that they could learn to deduce concepts in different materials.

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

By learning how they make associations. By doing so, it is easier for me to formulate pathways leading to the correct logic or answer. Association makes memorization occur a lot faster.

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

Test them on things we have gone over until they get it right and understand it. The minute they realize that they can grasp 80% or more of the topic in question, is the moment they realize that it's no longer insurmountable.