What is your teaching philosophy?

Beyond striving to ensure that students learn the fundamental content of the courses I tutor, my objectives as a tutor are as follows: (a) to foster critical thinking skills; (b) to facilitate the acquisition of lifelong learning skills; and (c) to help students develop evidence-based clinical problem-solving strategies. Furthermore, my overall teaching philosophy is based on two principles, which are supported extensively in the literature: (a) active student learning strongly influences student-learning outcomes; and (b) assessment procedures strongly influence student acquisition of knowledge.

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

Get to know the student, understand their background within the given subject, and briefly cover the topics that they are struggling with.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

I aim to help students become independent learners by teaching them ways to critically analyze the problem and what exactly is being asked.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

I would aim to help students stay motivated by being a role model, getting to know the student, using a variety of student-active teaching activities, and setting realistic performance goals and helping students achieve them by encouraging them to set their own reasonable goals.

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

Break down the concept to the bare bones, and begin to construct their problem solving ability from the ground up.

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

I would encourage students to actively contemplate what they are reading as they read it.

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

I have found understanding the student's individual problem, listening to their struggle, and then explaining it in way that makes sense to them has been the most successful

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

I would provide the student with real world applications and possible careers that use the given subject matter.

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

Careful reading of the question, understanding what the question is asking, and then the elimination of answers to get the final answer.

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

Confidence is built during small victories, thus easy but challenging questions build confidence and character.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

I evaluate student needs by understanding their background and experience within the subject.

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

I adapt my tutoring by mirroring the student's position. I attempt to place myself within their shoes and then seek a logical way to solve the problem from a point of view that makes sense to them.

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

I use markers, white boards, and highlighters.