What is your teaching philosophy?

I use an interdisciplinary approach employing critical thinking skills.

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

Try to make the student comfortable and willing to talk, to determine his/her needs, and to assess the extent of any deficiencies.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

Encourage the student to conduct his/her own research, and inquiry in order to satisfy curiosity.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

Praise, praise, praise!

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

Try a different approach; not all methods work with all students.

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

Determine, if possible, the reasons for the struggle. Is it cognitive, a short attention span, a physical issue?

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

Help the student comfortable with me, as well as willing to be open and communicative. Engaging the student to determine their interests and building on that is also helpful.

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

Determine ways to make the subject relevant to the student's life now or in the future. I hated math, probably because I was not shown its relevance to my life (although I discovered the relevance later in life and now I love it).

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

Rather than simply employ rote recitation, I would have the student explain the whys and hows of the material in the form of an oral explanation, or in a Socratic-style Q and A.

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

Continual praise to show that the student is mastering it, as well as positive feedback.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

This can be done via administration of pretests.

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

I alter my approach and presentation depending on the student's level, whether AP or remedial, or in between.

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

That depends on the subject; for social studies, I use maps, photographs, YouTube videos, recordings, and other multimedia.