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

Being flexible and creative. There is always more than one way to look at a problem. The key is teaching that it is okay to take a step back when one approach doesn't work in order to find a new one. In my experience, this attitude has been the most successful when starting to work with students.

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

I build a student's confidence by teaching them that struggling is not the same as failing. When we struggle with a concept, but persevere until we get the right answer, we build a stamina and a better understanding of our learning pattern. When a student can truly understand the way they learn, then they can take steps towards teaching themselves. It is important to me to see my students teach the topic they are on. When they are sure enough of the material they are learning to be able to teach it, then they have mastered that information. Building pride and confidence within my students is the goal of this system.

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

For my sessions, I utilize the Online Tutoring Platform. From there, I have a large amount of teaching material at my disposal. There is access to flashcards, questions with detailed answers and explanations, as well as the option to implement any additional teaching aides as necessary. Through the platform, I have the ability to upload worksheets and any extra flashcards. There are also great tools to work through problems to determine exactly why they work to get each answer. I like to keep the base materials as simple as possible for my students: paper, pencil, and laptop. We will also work from their school book and use material that best suits their learning style. It will change for each student, but overall, I will be keeping excess materials to a minimum.