What is your teaching philosophy?

Patience, empathy and solid oral and written communication skills make me a great tutor. I understand the importance of listening to the student and catering to their needs in terms of assignments. I have over 10 years of experience teaching undergraduate college students and have enjoyed teaching a broad range of subjects in the social sciences and the humanities.

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

Ask what their needs and goals are and then mutually decide on how to get to those goals in terms of time and work. I would also want to know what books and other materials they are using to better tailor the sessions.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

I would ask the student to make 5 questions that s/he thinks someone else might ask about their work and to write out their answers to those questions. It's amazing to see how taking an outsider's perspective helps to hone our own work.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

Focus on the goals and timeline. Sometimes it is helpful to make shorter term goals for a longer project.

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

Try to find out where the difficulty is and focus on that point of stress.