What is your teaching philosophy?

I'm a firm believer that everyone can learn anything, with the difference being in how well they can master it. With this in mind, teaching is an exercise in variation of method to help the student understand.

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

Establish their problem areas and work on a lesson plan of learning to get them up to speed with their desired level.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

I would use scaffolding, or use leading questions and provide methods crucial to solving problems on their own.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

By keeping challenges appropriate to their level, or directing them towards enjoyable challenges to keep their interest up.

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

I would try explaining/teaching it in a novel way, in an attempt to help them approach it from a new angle.

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

It depends on what their struggle is. If it's comprehension of the words, I break down larger words or work with them to find context clues. If it's pronouncing words, then I help them with word sounds.

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

Respect seems to translate to all ages. If I can show them unconditional positive regard, they're more likely to worry less about the words I'm using and focus more on what I'm saying.

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

If they found it unexciting, I would explore ways to make it so. Putting a subject in a different setting than they are used to could help make it new to them, and more interesting.

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

Abstract questioning is one of the most reliable methods for ensuring that the student understands the material, and hasn't just memorized it.

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

Knowing the student's ability level would allow me to give them practice questions that would be possible to solve, but still enough of a challenge to boost their confidence in the subject.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

Asking them is the first step, most students should be able to at least point to a problem that they're having trouble with. After that, I figure out if they're having trouble with the concept, or a specific part of the problem.

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

I would observe the student's mannerisms and concerns, and build an idea of what their view is. Understanding how they're looking at the problems would help me approach them in a way that the student would understand.

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

A notebook is one of the more vital tools. Having blank paper handy to itemize word problems, work basic math on, or illustrate concepts is invaluable. After that, it depends on the level of the subject.