Nilardhi A.

I am a big believer in the Feynman Technique, named after the famous physicist Richard Feynman. The technique is as simple as the following four steps: Pick a topic you want to understand and start studying it. Pretend to teach your topic to a classroom. Go back to the books when you get stuck. Simplify and use analogies and real-life examples. You can watch this interesting video to learn more about the method: https://youtu.be/MlJdMr3O5J4

I schedule a consultation to get to know my student before the first session to discuss expectations, pricing, and scheduling. This meeting can also help break the ice and quickly be done over the phone, video chat, etc. Prepare a brief pre-test to gauge students' strengths and weaknesses. Creating a diagnostic pre-test can provide great insight into where upcoming sessions should focus. It can be as short and simple as a quiz or as in-depth as multiple questions pulled from a practice exam. This step can be done quickly and shouldn't take more than your session's first 10 or 15 minutes. Break down my lesson plan into smaller, easy-to-digest sections. Digesting material in intervals can make my students feel accomplished—sometimes into the end of the session for a recap. Verbally go over the material you've just covered at the end of each lesson. Have my student recite the main points and key takeaways. It may sound repetitive, but talking aloud about a concept often helps it stick. Ask for feedback! Finally, always ask for input at the end of a lesson. If my student is truly motivated, they will tell me what they want or need more help with. Asking for a student's feedback can also strengthen our relationship.