What is your teaching philosophy?

Not only is it important for the teacher to have a lingering fascination for the subjects he or she teaches, but also the experience of struggling through and overcoming the processes of learning these subjects to better guide the students. Coming from a background of having struggled, failed, and overcame, all while retaining my intellectual curiosity for the subjects I wish to tutor, I am strongly fit to provide the appropriate guidance for students to achieve success in their studies.

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

Attitude towards a course and its content is important to the receptiveness of information. I usually assess the student's perception and how it influences performance. I try to determine the student's weaknesses and brainstorm ways to overcome them. Finally, after developing an action plan, I encourage the student to set actionable goals and keep track of themes vital to progress throughout the following sessions.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

The student should be curious enough to learn the story of any concept which leads to independent discovery of the key concepts. The mission is to encourage this curiosity.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

The self-determination theory from psychology states that motivation comes from three primary factors: the student should feel competent, the material is related to the student's personal interests, and the student feels autonomous over his or her actions and decisions.

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

Comparison is how we best process information surrounding us. Therefore, breaking down the concepts into points that are easily understandable, and comparison by metaphor, are the first steps to helping a student learn a new skill or concept. Following is repetition until mastery.

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

After going over some concepts, I would ask the student to think aloud while answering the next set of questions to see where the student may still be confused.

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

Everyone starts from the beginning. It is important to have the student realize that even experts in a particular field were once beginners with little to no knowledge. However, once the material is broken down into simpler steps that are understandable by the student, he or she will come to see that the subject is not as difficult as once thought was.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

I usually try to assess the student's learning style, strengths, and weaknesses in the first session. Second to asking the student (and or parent) what they feel that their needs are, I assess by getting feedback throughout my explanation of concepts and our tackling of questions.

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

If necessary, I resort to showing pictures and diagrams from the Internet and double checking concepts from online or printed resources.