What is your teaching philosophy?

I believe the children are our future, so we need to teach them well and let them lead the way. I can assist these children in discovering who they are, so they can express their own opinions and nurture their own ideas. My mission, as an educator, is to motivate students to love learning and also provide skills for them to become lifelong learners!

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

In a first session, I will spend time getting to know the student. I want to know their likes, dislikes, favorite hobby, and favorite food. I want the student to feel comfortable with me, and I don't want them to feel I'm just another adult who is coming to bore them for an hour or two a week. I want to make learning fun, and to do that I need to see what makes them want to learn. I can also see what I can do to help them enhance their learning technique!

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

We all the know the goal is to help them become an independent learner, and to do that I want to encourage them to be successful in whatever subject they may be struggling in. Another way to help students become independent learners is to boost his or her confidence, and to do that I need to potentially step back and let them take control of their own learning. I also need to challenge them so that they feel proud to accomplish a subject that they were once struggling in.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

To help students stay motivated it is useful to create a "threat-free environment," and to do that one must create a safe, supportive environment for students, affirming their belief in a student's abilities. Hands-on learning is also a great way to keep students motivated. To achieve this, one must create lessons that the student can enjoy, meaning less book lecturing and possibly more technology, or field trips related to the subject.

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

I would first evaluate the lesson myself to see what I can target so that the student can grasp the skill. I would try using different methods of going about learning the skill, such as something that can spark their interest so that the student is encouraged to learn.

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

I would assess the student to see which part the reading he or she is struggling in. Once that is determined I need to target those difficulties, while also making it fun.

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

Successful strategies I've found to be successful when working with students is connecting what you're teaching to real life, using students' interests and fascinations, giving students choices, presenting information in multiple formats, teaching students self-monitoring skills, and focusing on independent learning!

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

I would change the way the student is being taught the subject. If they are not understanding the subject I would take a different approach by trying something that the student will love and remember to use.

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

There are tons of ways to know if a student has mastered a skill. I can use response cards, index cards, signs, whiteboards, magnetic boards, or other items that can be held up by the student to indicate a response to a question. During the last few minutes in a session, the student and I can reflect on the lesson, which will give a good indication of if the student has mastered the lesson.

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

One strategy I was taught, and use to this day, is called "brain dump." After learning new material for a set period of time, the student should do a "brain dump" on a blank piece of paper. This entails writing down everything he or she just learned. It helps to raise the students confidence, and it is also a useful approach for the instructor to receive feedback and see where gaps exist. I use the approach because for some students, holding the information inside their head can cause anxiety and confusion. Taking a deep breath, dumping the information on a blank page, and seeing what it looks like prepares the student for success in that subject. This brain dump then serves as a study guide.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

To evaluate a student's need I would give them a simple assessment, which will let me know what and where I need to target. Evaluating the needs of a student is very important because you as the instructor never want to overwhelm the student with information that they have already mastered, or with information that they have no clue in where to start. You need to target the needs that you see fit, whether it intellectual delay, SLD, etc. My goal is to see progress in the student's growth.

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

To adapt to a student's needs I would first evaluate them to see what type of learning style they have, and then go from there. For example, if the student is a visual learner I would use maps, flow charts, and anything that can and will help that student understand that subject.

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

I typically use a tablet or laptop, books, homework assignments, a whiteboard with markers, any activity utensils, and paper.