What is your teaching philosophy?

My teaching philosophy is that the student ALWAYS comes first. It's the student's needs, desires, and interests to gain the material and insight on the topic. It isn't the tutor that is paving the tutoring session; it's the success of the student to do well and have the confidence to do and learn the topics being studied.

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

I will always introduce myself, and ask what the student is currently learning in the class. I will then ask for a syllabus, or past homework/notes/exams/quizzes so I can get a better feel of what the instructor is teaching and how they are testing the material.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

I can provide them with confidence and my own personal experience when trying to learn a tough topic. It's the confidence that really motivates the student to learn on their own, because they feel as though they "own" the material.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

I always use positive reinforcement and encouragement to help a student. If they aren't understanding the topic or how I first explained the method to approach it, I will tailor my method to their needs.

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

I break down the problem into steps, and try my best to relate it to real life or personal experiences. By doing that, it establishes a personal connection with the concept and the person. This way, when the student approaches a similar problem on their own, they will have the tools to solve it.

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

I like to create a breakdown of the subject. When material is compiled into large paragraphs, it is very hard to keep track of what has been stated previously. By breaking down large topics, they can be easily learned piece by piece.

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

The biggest strategy I have found to be most productive is first defining the problem, and all the topics that the problem requires. By doing this, definitions can be recognized for later problems. Then I take the problem and break it down into steps so there is a flow to the solution.

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

I like to add in my own personal experiences, especially with topics that I even struggled with when I first learned the material. This way the student can know they are not alone, and I can provide solutions that may have worked for me that they can use as well.

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

I always ask the student to repeat the process aloud after we complete the problem. By them repeating it, they are verbally saying the process they did so they can remember it. At the end of the lesson, I make sure to give the student a quick and verbal quiz to see if they really retained the material, and if not, we review the material again so there is no confusion.

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

I like to repeat the steps at the end of the solution so that nothing was lost or not retained during the process of answering the question. Then for the next question, I let the student guide the step by step process to show that they truly know the method on how to answer the question.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

I base it on two items: what the student verbally wants and the student's results from tests and quizzes. I like to personally know what the student is struggling with, and I also like to see how that matches with their exams. This way I can use both pieces of evidence to sculpt a plan for them to efficiently learn the material and do well.