What is your teaching philosophy?

I want to make sure that every student never feels inadequate for struggling in a subject. I strive to find different ways to make subjects easier for different people to understand.

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

For a first session, I would make it my priority to attempt to diagnose the problem the student was having with the subject. I would need to differentiate between a comprehension problem and a lack of proper study skills. I would then try to learn from the student how they typically learn things and why that wasn't working in this situation.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

Teaching disciplined study skills is key for long term success. Perhaps, I could find something else the student is successful in and use similar methods to apply to the subject they are struggling in. Once I feel I have made progress, I would encourage them to look at the next chapter's content on their own before our next session. I would make sure to divide up goals if they were continually being overwhelmed.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

I feel that small attainable goals are great for retaining motivation. I would try to set goals for the student that they found to be realistic and encourage them.

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

If the different methods of explaining the concept did not work, I would seek a comparison. Whether it be a past concept that builds into this one or a simple analogy, I would draw from a concept they understand to explain this new one.

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

For reading comprehension, it is often necessary to look at the passage slowly and in pieces. It can help to summarize main points, underline/mark key passages, and translate the passage line by line into layman's terms.

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

First and most important, is learning about the student: how they approach problems, how they learn, what they struggle with, and what they have done to try to improve. Once I understand that, it is easier to develop a plan that will lead them to success.

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

I enjoy using outside source materials. It is often beneficial to show the student how this concept affects the real world through an example. I have gotten students to look up videos and articles on the subjects they are studying to gain a new perspective or interest for the subject.

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

Most importantly, I need to ensure they can do practice problems on their own and apply the concepts they have learned. Once they have shown that they can do that, I would ask them to explain the material to me as if I was the student. This ensures that they are not simply memorizing how to do the problem but actually understand the concepts.

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

With small, realistic goals. It is often intimidating for students to immediately charge into the homework if they do not understand the material. If it is not clearly done in the text, I would break the concept up for the student and see if they could combine it.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

Listening to the student is of utmost importance. Input from the parents also could help, but my main source of info is the student. I need to be sure of what the student struggles with in order to help. If they are not sure, I would go through the material step by step until they showed uncertainty.

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

It's very important to discover the student's individual needs. I cannot teach the material in the same manner for every student. I make sure that the student is comfortable with stopping me and asking for clarification so I can better understand what they need.

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

I would use anything necessary. Hopefully, the student would have their text and extra materials. If they did not, I would rely on my own texts and notes on the subject. There are plenty of resources online for additional practice problems too if their text does not sufficiently cover the topic.