What is your teaching philosophy?

Be creative! There are so many different ways to learn. I enjoy experiencing the new information in a fun, creative way so that I remember it.

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

Break the ice! :-) Let's get to know each other's interests, learning styles, and build some rapport.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

I can show them neat ways to make any learning experience their own so that they want to learn, want to read, and want to study.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

Positive reinforcement. Words are so powerful. Hearing encouragement makes such a difference to our inner state. "Good jobs", "keep it ups," and "awesomes" go such a long way.

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

Get innovative and find new unconventional ways to make it easier to comprehend. No giving up!

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

Break it down. Let's read things bit by bit and figure out where we are getting lost. Is it the vocabulary? Is it the length of the assignment? Is it the topic? Let's get to the root of it.

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

Open communication, a budding friendship, and a good attitude.

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

Rewards/Incentives that coincide with their likes and interests.

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

Recall, paraphrasing, and intentional open-ended questions for comprehension assessment.

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

Show them all that they are doing right.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

We can go through some mock assignments and see what they excel at and where they struggle. Conversations are key as well. Most students know what their strengths and weaknesses are.

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

I make a form with a curriculum standard to always refer back to and make sure each session is still on target.

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

Pencil and paper, the student's textbook, props for visual learners, resources I used in classes as a student myself, and musical instruments (if we find a way).