My goal in working with my students is to make concepts understandable using different methods that are suited to each person's learning style. Everything we learn is connected, and can lead to understanding a new skill later. I continually seek to find ways to connect what my students currently know to the skills I am teaching them. I also want to get to know my students as individuals, and learn about their interests and talents.

My goal in working with all students is to help them understand why things occur, how one phase of learning connects to another, and not just how to memorize facts and procedures. I believe that if they are able to do this, they can be successful in all kinds of settings where they are required to learn something new.

During my first session, I make every effort to get my student to feel comfortable with me, and I determine what their needs are. From there, I will begin to assist with the content. Based on these interactions and future interactions, I will continue to seek out teaching materials and ideas that are suited to that student's unique learning style.

I offer frequent praise, encouragement, and feedback at each step of the learning process. I want my students to understand that they can learn, even if doesn't come easily at first. It is my hope that my students will gain the confidence and skills to become independent learners.

I use many questioning strategies to assess understanding throughout a lesson. I also provide guided practice opportunities, followed by opportunities for my student to explain or demonstrate a particular skill or concept on their own.

I make every effort to find prior knowledge or skills to build on, so that my students can make a connection to the current concept. If the concept is abstract, such as in math or science, I use modeling or patterns to help students make connections. I also want my students to understand that they are capable of learning difficult concepts, even if they struggle at first.

I try to determine how each student learns most effectively. If a student is a visual learner, I will use pictures or modeling to help in grasping a concept. If a student is overwhelmed with unfamiliar words and academic vocabulary, I will use strategies to help them remember the meanings of those new words. Throughout the time that I am working with a student, I am making assessments of understanding and comprehension. I may do this by using questioning strategies, guided practice techniques, or other ways to build confidence and learn more about my student’s needs

I work hard to make my students feel comfortable and know that I care about their success. I strive to give them opportunities to be successful during our time working together, so that they can feel confident when working on their own.

I seek to find the foundational skills and knowledge that my students already have, so that I can build on those when working with information that is new or difficult for them. Often students are overwhelmed with information and just need time to process it, or have it explained in a different way. Once I have gone over information with a student, I check to see that they can demonstrate understanding of it on their own. I make every effort to provide opportunities for small successes along the way, so that it leads to greater confidence.

If they are comfortable with it, I ask my students to do some of the reading aloud so they have more time to process what they read. I will also ask questions before, during, and after reading a passage to help students to verbally process the information. Another strategy I have found to be helpful is to annotate the text by writing notes in the margins.

I work to find a certain level of success with a student’s prior knowledge, and then I build on this. I offer encouragement during our practice with the material, and I let students see my own excitement when I respond to their progress at each step in the learning process.

I like to adjust materials based on what my students need.

In order to evaluate a student's needs, I use the information provided by the tutoring company, the student's parents, as well as the individual student. However, it is an ongoing process, as each interaction I have with a student helps me to assess their individual needs and determine what strategies might work to provide assistance or instruction.