What is your teaching philosophy?

I believe in challenging my students and setting weekly short term goals with them, while working in a fun environment.

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

First I will spend time to learn as much as I can about the student, his or her level in French, and the goal he or her is trying to reach. I will then adapt our sessions according to the student's hobbies and interests.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

I want my students to already think about the next session once the current one is over. The goal is to keep sessions interesting and deliver short assignments at the end of each one. Stimulating the student's interest and helping build his or her confidence should have him or her wanting for more, and reaching for self-sufficiency quickly.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

By stressing that communication is the ultimate key to learning. It's ok to "not get it" right away. We will not move to the next step if the student does not master the current one. A confident student is usually a motivated one.

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

There is usually several ways to solve a problem. By looking at it in a different perspective, and by using what the student is already familiar with, I usually can help understand what was blurry at first.

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

Often in that case it is good to use the mechanics of the English language to compare it to French. Using several exercises and different examples, helps struggling students to have a better understanding of the mechanics of the French language.

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

Setting short-term goals is the strategy that works best for me. It helps me evaluate the level of commitment the student has, and it builds the student's confidence in his or her progress and in myself as a tutor.

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

By using the student's interests as a starting point. I've realized that most of the time when students struggle with a concept, it helps if they can get into a comfort zone and face the problem from a different angle.

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

By using different type of tests (written or verbal) in relation to the subject.

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

By making sure the students understand each facet of the subject. Practice makes perfect and repetition also helps. It's always good to come back to a previous subject here and there and see that the student is able to automatically find the right answer.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

By learning to know them. How well can they read, how well can they speak, how easily can they understand or learn new materials. Only then, can we set short-term learning goals.

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

By starting at a level they feel comfortable in and gradually raising it to a level where their potential is maximized.

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

Books, audio files, songs, games, quizzes.