How would you help a student stay motivated?

Introducing new and interesting things that go along with their subject is always good to help someone stay motivated! Instances of what you learn in school are all over--literature and history permeate our culture. It's easy to stay motivated when you have a real-life example to tie yourself to or you have something outside of your academic work to become interested in that allows you to want to pursue your subject more.

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

Slow and steady wins the race. Every student learns at a different pace, and it's really about getting to the root of the problem and seeing how to fix it from there. Reading comprehension can be tricky because it can be symptomatic of a lot of different things. It's about finding the time to work through to the root of the problem and fixing it from there rather than on an assignment-by-assignment basis.

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

I like real-world application! It's always easier for me to access a student when there's something they can do to apply what they're studying to what they deal with every single day. Movies, television, books, music-- culture is influenced by what we learn in school, and what we learn in school is influenced by culture. Everything is intimately connected, and every student has an interest outside of their schoolwork. By getting to know the student and their interests and passions, it's easy to connect what they're learning with what they're passionate about.

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

I am a big fan of comprehension checks, but I'm also a big fan of having a student explain to me the concept that I just had to explain to them. If a student can confidently 'teach' me, then I am pleased with the result of the tutoring.

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

I believe positive reinforcement can go a long way, and I also believe that allowing them to derive their own connections and opinions on the material can go a long way. A student will become confident in their learning when the conclusions they reach become their own, not conclusions that they have been taught to reach.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

Listening is key for the learning process. Often, a student doesn't just need to pass a test--they need the tools to learn the material, the confidence to pursue more knowledge, and the vocabulary to get them started. Schools will often overlook a student's individual needs when covering a broad range of students, each with their own unique needs, and that's where tutoring can be a beautiful thing. By really listening to what a student needs in order to learn successfully, you can then successfully teach them.