What is your teaching philosophy?

To engender on a uniquely individual student basis an 'I CAN do this' attitude, through leading by example, building confidence, and developing strong working partnerships that deliver results on a timely basis.

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

I would give an introduction and tell the student something about myself. Ask the student to give an introduction, ensuring that I employ effective listening. Establish a checklist of strengths, weaknesses, and requirements. Draw up an agreed program to build on the strengths and to tackle all areas of weakness. Allow time for feedback. Establish the scheduling and basic content of the next tutorial.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

Through clearly showing the student that they have the ability to complete activities, thereby strongly building their confidence. Through the setting of a measured amount of homework to establish the student's willingness and ability to carry out set tasks on their own.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

Through monitoring closely the student's progress, including through feedback. Where necessary, I would be prepared to introduce variety into the teaching methods and strategies to suit the requirements of the individual learner.

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

Break up the problem/concept into easier/smaller components, show completion by example, and then set further examples for the student to follow on an escalation of difficulty basis until the more difficult concept has been grasped.

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

Identification of the area of difficulty, encouragement of the student to broaden their reading, the use of a variety of reading strategies, the introduction of aids to word meanings/spellings, and through showing the student how to identify key words that link the questions to the passage.

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

An effective introduction (two-way), analysis of strengths and weaknesses, displaying understanding, breaking problem areas down, showing by example, setting further examples for the student to follow, agreement of goals, and setting and monitoring objectives.

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

By identifying the reason behind their lack of interest or enthusiasm, through making the subject appealing by linking it to their interests, e.g. angles through possibly golf/football, percentages through their favorite candy.

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

Through establishing their reading ability by asking them to read the material to me. By explanation of parts of the material that they don't understand. By setting reading goals that I will monitor and review with feedback and, if necessary, further corrective action.

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

Through explanation and example which they follow sequentially to build their confidence, thereby engendering an 'I can do this' attitude.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

Through observation, eliciting their feedback, from monitoring, analysis and review of all performance objectives and goals set, and through results and reports from all external stakeholders e.g. the student's school.

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

Through clearly identifying the abilities and requirements of the student and devising study strategies that will keep the individual motivated and engaged throughout.

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

Textbooks, models, my own diagrams/charts/questions, a wide range of reading material from fiction and nonfiction sources, online articles, and real world examples.