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

I try to bring the problem down to their level. I try to see what they already know, and then I try to fill in the gaps by making sure they know the steps to solve the problem. When I know that the student has learned the steps, I teach how to solve the problem.

What is your teaching philosophy?

Teach my student the steps to complete the problem, and then have them guide me through a few problems so that they can show me that they understand what they are doing.

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

My first session with a student is usually designed in a way that it helps me evaluate the student's weaknesses and strengths, and then I help the student by teaching them the steps to solve a problem and make sure that the student can show me that they understand the steps by solving a problem. I then have the student solve as many problems as he/she can, and we correct it together and I make sure that the student understands why he/she was wrong or right for each problem and that they remember the rules to solving each problem.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

The best way to do this is making sure the student has learned the steps to solve the problem, and if he/she has learned them, I ask them to apply it and look to see where they get stuck and when they need help. I would help them until I knew they could teach the material to someone else.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

By saying things like "you got this," "look how far you have come," and "keep going," but also making sure that the student is able to understand the content, because I understand that it is frustrating when you do not understand something.

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

I ask the student what he/she understands from the text, and then I ask them what they think the text is saying. After I understand their interpretation, I try to give them clues as to what the text is saying without giving the answer away so that they can learn to understand themselves.

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

The most successful strategy I have had is to teach someone the rules to solving the problem, then having them solve problems without my help, and finally having them teach what they have learned to someone else.

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

I remind the student that the only way they are going to get smarter and grow as a person is to study the subject they are weakest in. I try my best to give them words of encouragement and praise, and at least get them to do the first problem. Once I get the student to complete the first problem, I congratulate them and help them complete another, and then test them by letting them complete a few on their own, while their confidence is high; eventually I correct their work and show them their mistakes but still give them words of praise, because they did work hard and they do deserve it.

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

I have the student teach me how to complete the problem, but I also make sure the student is able to teach me the steps that they used to solve the problem in the first place.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

The best way to evaluate a student's needs is to gauge the student's current level by giving them example problems, or by seeing how much they might have understood from a given example or text.

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

I try to make it so that the student has an example to relate to, or I add visuals so that the student can understand what I am trying to explain. Basically, I try to break down what I am saying to the simplest form possible and see where the student gets stuck, and I try my best to find different ways to explain the information.

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

I always have pencils, papers, and my phone in case I need to show a visual example.