I believe that each student has an optimal method of learning specific to his or her academic strengths and personality traits. As a tutor/teacher, it is up to me to tailor my presentation of the material in a way that allows each student to fully grasp concepts based on how they learn best.

I would first start off engaging in a casual conversation about what brought the student to me, as well as their academic interests, hobbies outside of school, over-arching goals for their tutoring sessions, etc. This would allow me to get to know the student a bit better, while also understanding their academic needs. From there, we might dive into some introductory material so that I can get a feel for how the student approaches the material, and where I can be of help to the student in this matter.

I believe independent learning is inherently sparked by curiosity of the subject matter. As a tutor, it is my goal to make learning enjoyable and fulfilling for the student. Part of making learning enjoyable, especially in the sciences, is to break down the material into parcels that are less intimidating to learn. Incremental learning, along with access to supplemental educational resources I can pass along, will help to instill independent learning habits in each student I tutor.

It is important to understand the source of a student's lack of motivation. Is the student having a bad day? Is he/she unmotivated because the material in challenging? Once I can diagnose what is holding the student back, there are steps I can take to properly motivate in an encouraging manner. For example, if the material is too difficult, I can engage the student (instead of presenting the material by lecturing) and apply concepts to something that is relevant in his or her life. This helps the material to stick better and makes the subject matter more relatable to the student.

Each student learns best with different modes of presentation. As such, if a student is struggling with a concept, it is up to me to tweak my presentation in a way that will allow the concept to better resonate with the student. It is important to make sure that a student doesn't feel that it is their fault if they don't understand a concept. Oftentimes, a concept must be presented multiple times before a student can fully grasp it.

When students are struggling with reading comprehension, I like to gravitate to reading material that is of interest to them. I think this helps take some of the pressure off during the reading portion, and clarification of concepts encountered throughout the passage is more easily explained since it is a subject in which they are interested. Once we work through basic issues of reading comprehension, we can then move up to more difficult reading passages.

I like to establish a vocal, transparent relationship with each new student I tutor. Setting the precedent early of voicing questions or concerns helps to make each session flow more fluidly. I recognize that students may be shy sometimes about asking a question or admitting a weakness, but it is my goal to establish a comfortable environment where we can discuss any and all questions about the material they may have. This also allows me to better understand their learning style and predict which concepts they may struggle with in the future.

Students often get excited about subjects when they see tangible success. To promote excitement in a subject in which a student is struggling, I would first introduce easier concepts and problems to increase the student's confidence level. Then, I would gradually transition into more difficult material while still building upon the basic fundamentals previously established.

In my studies, I've found that if you can draw it, then you know it. I would use this philosophy to have the student diagram or map out certain concepts on which we have worked. Additionally, I think it is helpful to have the student create hypothetical test questions, as it forces them to think through why each multiple choice answer they listed may be correct or incorrect.

Building a student's confidence starts by setting incremental goals. Incremental goals are more manageable to achieve than goals of a broad scope. For instance, I would encourage a student to focus on mastering a given chapter over the course of one or two tutoring sessions, rather than focusing on earning an "A" for the semester. Students see the outcome of short term goals more quickly, which leads to an increase in confidence if the student is meeting the manageable goals that were set.

I first pay attention to what the student identifies as his or her areas of weakness. From there, we may begin to cover a topic, and I will ask questions in a variety of formats to see in what aspect of the learning process the student is struggling.

It is important to have a good understanding of a student's strengths and weaknesses as I consider how to adapt my tutoring methodologies to a student's needs. While I feel that conceptual learning is a great way to learn a subject, there are some areas that require a degree of memorization. In this case, I would work on coming up with creative and fun mnemonics/memorization schemes to help the student better recall the subject matter.

I like to use a lot of figures when I cover material with a student. I believe figures/pictures are a great learning tool, and they can serve as a platform for the student and I to dive deeper into the material. Additionally, I like having a student try to walk me through a figure to prove their understanding of a concept. I always find it beneficial to have a student go back and redraw a key figure, because if you can draw it without any help from a textbook, then you have a good grasp on the concept.