A simple and practical teaching philosophy: investigate what the student is trying to learn, meet them mentally where they express their understanding by their own report and explanation, question where the point of confusion is, and then offer different ways to explain the problem/solution and see which engages the student's understanding. Ask questions to lead the student to figure out their situation, offer methods of approach, and be flexible.

During the first session with a student I ask questions about their subject of choice, and I listen to what they say. I bring assessment materials in the subject they have asked to study, and have them respond to a broad selection of problems. Usually, the areas that are difficult pop up, as well as the areas the student proves to be strong in. Then we work from there.

By asking them questions. Questions cause the student to think, assemble, wonder, clarify, reorganize, and discover their learning needs.

Remind them of what they know, what areas and skills they are strong in, and commend their progress. I encourage them to learn for themselves, not for just the teachers. I love to learn new things; it's a life attitude. Hopefully this outlook rubs off.

Find where the understanding ends and the point of confusion begins. Once that POC is isolated, I try to work with examples, pictures, explanations, and simpler problems using the same concept.

Reading comprehension is a complex skill. One of the building blocks is vocabulary; it's difficult to understand a sentence when key terms are undefined by the reader. After a reader goes through a few sentences, I ask them to explain what they understand. One chunk of reading at a time. Then, we summarize idea blocks, again through asking questions and restating understanding.

Ask them what they know in the subject area at hand. All students know more than they think. Validate their skill set by finding their strengths and revealing these to the students. Ask them what they wish to work on.

Give tangible examples of where this subject is applied, and how people use the information they are trying to digest. Be excited about the subject myself!

Ask questions. Give them the opportunity to tell me the narrative of their topic. Use sample problem sets. Repetition is our friend: repeat weekly concepts learned until they are well ingrained.

Acknowledge their hard work. Show them their progress--where they began and how far they have come.

Ask them what they need. Watch which problems repeat themselves.

Whatever works for the student, I am happy to provide. There are few 'right' ways to learn; an answer is usually one correct response, but how someone arrives or navigates to that response is variable.

Textbooks in the students' subject area that give good examples. Photocopies of the students' worksheets or problems that I know they are studying. Myriad reading materials. Phonics sheets for improving reading. Many multi-level problem sets or assessment lists to try on students to evaluate what they can do. Lots of scratch paper, lined paper, and a calculator.