What is your teaching philosophy?

As a teacher and as a tutor, I think it is important to build a more personal relationship between learner and educator, so I use lots of humor and personal experiences when working with students.

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

I would spend time getting to know each other and understanding the student's goals for the session or sessions.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

I can help a student become an independent learner by teaching a student the tools and skills he or she will need to use to be successful in that subject area.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

I would help a student stay motivated by reminding them of their goals and their accomplishments regularly.

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

If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, I would find another way to present it to the student that might make more sense to them. Also, more practice is usually helpful.

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

Practice, practice, practice! People become better readers by reading. It is important, however, to make sure that the material is engaging, age appropriate, and not too far above the student's reading level.

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

Building relationships is the most effective way to be successful when beginning work with a student.

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

Finding a connection to their lives can help a subject to be more engaging for a student. Also, success is a great motivator, so scaffolding the subject into smaller chunks gives greater opportunity for small successes.

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

Discussion is a great way to be sure a student understands language arts material. If they can talk about it, then they probably understand it. Also, approaching the material in different ways assures better understanding as well.

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

Scaffolding is a great way to build confidence. Making small steps forward gives greater chances for small successes, which builds confidence.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

First, start with what the student feels is their weak area. This is a good starting point, because as you start to work in this area, it would become clear very quickly where their strengths and weaknesses are.

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

All instruction should be tailored to the audience. Material covered, strategies used, etc., should all be based on what the student needs to be most successful.

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

It depends on the area of Language Arts, but I would use a novel or other literary resources. For writing, I would use the prompt, the resources, and the student's work as materials.