What is your teaching philosophy?

My philosophy of teaching is listening based. I don't believe in harping at a student like I am the only one with something to say. I believe it is a process of growth in understanding for both the teacher and the student. I believe in getting on the student's level to see the problem from their point of view.

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

My first priority would be to get a baseline assessment of the student. I would want to find the learning style of my student and get to know the student so that we have good communication when solving a problem. Then I would ask what the student had gone over in their class this term and do a brief overview of the class to make sure I know what the student needs to work on. If there is an area that is lacking understanding from earlier in the term, I will make sure we tackle that first to build confidence in their ability moving forward. Once we have established clear communication, found strengths and weaknesses, and gone over earlier content, I feel that we are at a good place to start working on current material.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

I believe becoming an independent learner is all about gaining confidence in your abilities, and being able to see yourself as someone who is totally able to become great in the subject. When a student gains this mindset, they become more thorough with their work, and they begin to realize that math is not such a scary subject because there is always a fundamental way to solve any problem.