How can you help a student become an independent learner?

Helping the student to discover his or her own difficulty, and then helping them to communicate their need as it relates to the information they need to solve their problem, regardless of the subject or content area.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

I would help a student stay motivated by devising many different scenarios for them to utilize what they have learned. In other words, create scenarios for them to demonstrate what they have learned.

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

I would first reassure the student that they are not alone. Then, I would ask the student a series of questions that would help the student to solve the problem on their own. The trick to this is helping the student think through their problem instead of panicking when they are initially faced with a known difficulty.

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

Because every student learns differently, I would observe and discuss the student's difficulty in understanding the material read. I would then ask a series of questions (verbal quizzing) during the reading, helping the student to recall certain important points as he or she progresses through the essay or reading material. Soon, after much practice, the student does this on their own as they read, making certain mental notes on important points, and is able to comprehend and answer questions after their reading.

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

Observing them, asking questions, noting hesitancies and frustrations, and then working with the student to develop strategies to find solutions to problems.

What is your teaching philosophy?

My teaching philosophy stems from the following: Students the classroom with different levels of understanding, backgrounds and different learning abilities. And because of this, listen to each student and ask questions to diagnose their learning style and level. Then, as teacher, tweak the delivery of the lesson by giving different versions of directions. In teaching any subject, my philosophy includes making the subject matter interesting; making it relevant and making it learnable/doable for the student. Students seem to always remember their "Aha!" moments. So, as a teacher, I help to create as many "aha" moments as I possibly can.

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

A "getting to know you" session is always important when meeting with students for the first time. I like to give them the history of my learning disabilities and how I was able to succeed in spite of them. I also solicit success stories from my students, such as "What difficulties have you experienced and how did you overcome them?"

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

I would help get my students excited about a subject they are struggling in by asking them to apply what they've learned to a real-life situation in front of the class. Make it interesting by allowing them to share their struggles and successes with their classmates. This exercise is always fun and enlightening in many ways.

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

Application. Application. Application. Testing is great, but demonstrating knowledge in real situations is best.