What is your teaching philosophy?

I've found that difficulties understanding or solving problems or questions come from an inability to piece together the underlying concepts. For that reason, I like to start from scratch and create a framework of understanding in order to answer the problem or question at hand. For me personally, I feel like this works a lot better than simply showing the answer.

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

I would first get to know them as a person, understanding the subject areas they are the most interested in and successful in, along with the ones they find most challenging. I think that understanding where students excel and fall short is extremely important to providing good feedback and mentorship.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

I think teaching students how to connect key concepts together is the best way to get them to become an independent learner. Mastering a subject requires more than just understanding the material -- you need to be able to piece together the ideas and know how they interact with each other.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

Students stay motivated when they believe that they're making improvement. It's important in every tutoring session to ensure that students get "a win," no matter how small. Small victories and positive encouragement will help keep the student going, stay motivated and achieve his/her goals.

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

I would start off with the basics and work my way up. This will help me and the student figure out where the missing piece is to his/her understanding of the overall skill or concept. Once we isolate the problem, repetition and reinforcement will help the student master the concept.