What is your teaching philosophy?

Every student can learn. But, we all learn in individual ways and at varying rates. Making the information relevant to the individual is the key to understanding.

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

Get to know the student. You have to establish the relationship and foundation from which learning will build.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

By teaching the student to think critically and how to approach novel situations and new information.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

Making learning relevant to the individual student breeds motivation.

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

Find ways to use the tools they already have at their disposal to access the new concept. Build on existing understanding.

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

Talk to the student to assess the barriers to comprehension, and go from there.

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

Taking the time to build the teacher/student relationship is crucial.

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

Make it relevant to them. Show them their part in the story.

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

Checking and rechecking for understanding as we are building the understanding. Having them reteach, and rephrase along the way.

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

By allowing them to show themselves that they understand more than they may have first believed. Take the time to make the concept relevant, and show the student how to make it their own.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

By taking the time to get to know the student.

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

In this setting, I can create a learning experience custom made for each student. By taking the time to understand who my student is a person, everything else just starts to make sense.

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

It depends on the individual student and what works best for them.