What is your teaching philosophy?

All students learn in different ways. Once their individual learning styles have been identified, students and their teachers can work together to best set the students up for success.

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

The most important first step is to understand where the student is and what his or her learning goals are. Once this has been established, we can begin!

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

In order to become an independent learner, students need to understand what learning strategies work best for them and then build on those strategies. This is a process that I have honed for myself and for my students.

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

There are many different ways of approaching any given problem and the traditional way isn't always the easiest or the best. If a student is having difficulty learning a concept, we simply need to approach it from a different angle.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

Students who have trouble staying motivated are often simply uninterested in the subject. My strategy for keeping students motivated is by using positive affirmation and making the material more relevant to the student.

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

Students can easily get discouraged by words or concepts that are unfamiliar to them. By highlighting these problem areas and working around them, we can establish a baseline of understanding and then build on it from there.

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

Students respond well to genuine interest and excitement about what they are learning. As a teacher, I like to create a positive atmosphere with students so that we have a good starting point before we begin to outline our goals and build rapport.

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

It is common for students to dislike a subject that they find challenging. In order to help engage the student with this material, I establish a positive learning environment, make the material relevant to the student, and encourage the student to try without worrying about mistakes.

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

It is important to ask clarifying questions that require more than a "yes" or "no" answer in order to determine if the student understands the topic. I have also found it useful to ask the student to teach the material to me. This makes the review fun for the student and helps him or her actively engage with the process.

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

Students often need positive affirmation about how they are doing in order to boost their confidence level. It is also important not to focus on wrong answers, but to acknowledge the process of learning by trying.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

I evaluate students' needs by listening carefully to what they have to say, and listening even more carefully to what they don't say. For example, if a student is scared of a specific subject, he or she might not say that directly, but will use other cues that will help me determine how to work with the student towards overcoming that fear.

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

It is important to understand that all students learn differently, and it is my job to know how to meet the student at a level on which he or she is most comfortable. I do this by first assessing how the student learns best, and then adapting my teaching methods to better support that student's learning environment. For example, if the student is a visual learner, I will use materials with visual stimuli to engage the student.

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

The types of materials that I use vary depending on the student and the subject that we are learning. For younger students, I prefer simple materials that encourage creativity and do not limit the ways that the student can engage with the material. For example, if I am teaching a writing session, I like to have a simple notepad for the student and a pencil in the student's favorite color. For older students or students focused on specific material (such as the SAT), I use materials with a lot of practice problems that we can use to cultivate a comfort level with the process of responding to that specific type of question. I also like to develop a series of strategies that students can use when they have trouble with a certain subject area or type of question.