What is your teaching philosophy?

I believe that each student should be seen as an individual learner. Once I know my student's strengths and needs, I am able to meet them exactly where they are and set them up for success. I differentiate my teaching as much as possible based on what my students need as individuals, and I use their strengths to help them reach their goals.

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

In a first session, I would get to know the student as a person and also as a learner. I would do this through conversation, as well as a variety of formal and/or informal assessments in order to gauge where the student is at. This could include written assessments, oral conversations, or watching the student work on the subject independently.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

I can help a student become an independent learner by giving them the tools they need, little by little, to reach the goals they have set for themselves. This includes providing them opportunities for small successes to build on in order to get to a place of independence.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

To help a student stay motivated I try to make learning as fun and engaging as possible. I like to know what makes my students "tick" so I know how I can keep their interest. I also make sure they have successful moments every time we work together in order to keep their attention and keep them working and excited.

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

If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, I would back up and find a different way to approach the subject. I would also do some informal assessments that could tell me more information about what pieces are missing in the student's background knowledge about the subject that's preventing them from being successful in learning the skill, and build from there.

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

I help students who are struggling with reading comprehension by, first of all, making sure they are reading texts that are at their level of independent or instructional reading. If the text is too hard for them, it will interfere with their comprehension. Next, I make sure to focus on the meaning of what the student is reading by stopping to ask frequent questions, referencing the text for answers, and having discussions about what is being read in order to monitor for comprehension.

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

When I start to work with a student, I have found it extremely beneficial to get to know them on a personal level. I like to find out what they enjoy, a little about their family, and what they like or dislike about school. I like to know my students on a personal level, and also let them get to know me a little, so we can begin to build a trust that will keep them engaged and motivated as we begin to work on subjects that may be challenging for them.

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

I would help a student get excited with a subject they are struggling in by helping them to see all the things they have been successful in with regard to that subject. I would like to find the positives that the student has and celebrate those. Often students don't even see those things because they are so focused on the negatives when it comes to areas of struggle. If they can see that they do have strengths and positives in any given subject, they are more likely to be excited and want to engage with the material to see more success.

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

To be sure that a student understands the material, I would use a variety of formal and informal assessments as we are working. This is not at ALL limited to tests. This is frequent checks for understanding before moving forward that can be as easy as a two minute conversation. This allows me to see the holes in their understanding so I can fill them in before moving on.

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

To build a student's confidence in a subject, I continue to celebrate their victories, no matter how small they are. When a student realizes they have done something they didn't know they can do, it boosts their enthusiasm and makes them more confident going forward for tackling harder material.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

To evaluate a student's needs I have to conduct a variety of assessments, both summative and formative, in order to see where they need the most help. I like to watch a student wrestle independently with the material that is challenging them so I can see how they approach a problem, what skills they already have that they're using, and what other skills I can provide them with to help them to be more successful in the future.

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

My student's needs are what completely drives my tutoring. I spend my time with each student focused purely on their needs and strengths during any given lesson to make sure they are getting exactly what they need from me. If I find that an approach isn't meeting their needs, I will try another one until we find something that works.

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

Depending on the subject matter, I will use manipulatives, a variety of writing tools, anchor charts that we create that will help them in future lessons, books, and a collection of references for the student to use throughout their time with me and beyond.