My teaching philosophy is that every student should have the right to learn and get a quality education. The instruction should be differentiated to aid with different learning preferences and styles.

In a typical first tutoring session, I would get to know the student and the expectations. I would have student fill out questionnaire. Determine the student's knowledge and collaborate with the student on a plan of action.

I can help a student become an independent learner by providing opportunities for self-monitoring, written and/or oral feedback on assignments, giving choices and encouraging students to set their own learning goals, and involving the student in lesson planning.

I would identify the lack of understanding and determine whether or not we simply need to review or take a fresh approach to the concept to be learned.

To help a student who is struggling with reading comprehension, I would see what they do understand, identify what they don't understand and use appropriate strategies to resolve the problems in comprehension. I would show the student how to think about what they are reading, use graphic organizers and give them a purpose for reading, and show them how to monitor their comprehension.

To get a student excited/engaged with a subject they are struggling with, I would connect what they are learning with real life, use their interest and fascinations, give them choices, present the information in differentiated ways and provide opportunities for self-monitoring skills.

The techniques I would use to check for understanding are avoiding yes or no responses, asking reflective questions, ask student to summarize or paraphrase concepts and lessons, using an exit ticket, response cards, one question quizzes and misconception checks.

I build a student's confidence in a subject by acknowledging their accomplishments, making sure not to interrupt when they are correcting themselves, setting attainable goals, giving the student choices and letting them be involved in their lesson planning, and encouraging them to challenge themselves.

I evaluate a student's needs by assessing their prior knowledge by using self-assessments before, during and after short activities.

I adapt my tutoring to my student's needs by differentiating the instruction to the student's learning style.

The materials I would use during a tutoring session are a smartphone, tablet, laptop, desktop computer, homework assignment sheets, project outlines, anything that pertains to the lesson, textbooks relevant to the lesson, and materials for note taking.

I would help my student stay motivated by always starting with a short icebreaker. I think it gives my student's something to look forward to each session.

The strategies that I have found to be most successful when working with my students have been the use of technology in some part of the lesson as well as using icebreakers and graphic organizers.