What is your teaching philosophy?

I believe that students learn best through taking an active role in their learning. My students will spend the majority of their time doing learning tasks as opposed to being lectured to. I will be there to support them and help them through their tasks, but it will be the student doing the work. I believe this is best for the learning of the skills and retention of the content.

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

In a first session with the student, I typically ask the student questions. My goal in that first meeting is to learn as much about that student, about his/her learning style, and about what exactly he/she wants to learn and/or be able to do.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

My students will learn to become independent learners, because that is my style of teaching. I will be present to support the student, but ultimately the student will do the work on his/her own. If there are questions, I try to guide the student to the answer to that question, rather than give the answer to him/her. In this way, my students feel supported but also learn to be independent.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

I like to think of myself as my students' biggest fan. I am there to hold them accountable, but also to fill the role of motivator and cheerleader. I like to constantly remind my students why they chose to be in tutoring, what the goal is, and what it will be like when they meet it.

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

I would try to differentiate my methods as much as possible. I would explain the material in as many different ways as I could. I would try a variety of activities and practice strategies to help the student learn. As I get to know my students, this is one of the things that come along with that. I am able to meet them where they are in order to get them to where they need to go.

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

I try to focus on how they are reading, what they are thinking when they are reading, and what strategies they are using to comprehend. Often students read something without really paying attention to it, their mind wanders, or they get lost in the piece and quit paying attention. I try to give them strategies to keep these things from happening.

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

The beginning of my time with a student consists of a lot of questions. I need to find out as much as I possibly can about my students, what they want, what they need to work on, what they do well and how they learn best. The more I know, the better I can help them.

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

I would make sure to show the student that he/she is making progress. When students feel like they are in a hopeless situation and aren't improving they are quick to lose interest and become overwhelmed. To keep this from happening, I try to highlight the progress they are making and change up the things they are doing as much as possible. Variety helps them to stay engaged.

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

It depends on the material, but I would use a variety of methods once again. I would quiz the student, give the student practice questions and ask the student to explain the material to me or teach me how to do it. If the student can teach the material he/she has probably mastered it.

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

Making sure a student sees a lot of success can do this. I would begin with easier questions and then ratchet up the difficulty as we go so that the student can be successful all the way through while improving in the area.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

I do this by talking with the student, and then by looking at his/her work.

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

It typically depends heavily on the subject matter. I would use books, practice exams, articles, videos, and as many other resources that I can find to teach a particular content area.