What is your teaching philosophy?

It is very important to know your subject, to understand how students are thinking in order to acquire knowledge, and to use the techniques that best suit the needs of the learner. A good teacher will keep students motivated, challenged positively, and confident in their learning experience.

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

Check the abc's of the subject the student is tutoring in. Break the ice, know a little bit about the student's learning style, and set up a plan for future sessions.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

Particularly in teaching a foreign language, eliciting the answer and waiting a reasonable time for the student to answer is crucial. Students who are given all the answers become too dependent. When you ask a lot of questions and let students think, process and come up with an answer, they start trusting themselves. Of course, when a student does not understand something, an intervention that is well thought, structured, and accessible is of the order.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

Preparing, preparing, preparing. No matter how many years of experience a teacher has, preparation of well-structured, age and level appropriate activities is the key to a successful experience.

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

Change the approach I am using. With younger students, manipulatives, pictures, objects and hands-on activities are more likely to be successful. For adults, particularly in teaching a foreign language it is helpful to find the equivalent of a grammar concept in their own language.