I like to interact with my students instead of just talking at them. When approaching any problem, I ask them to walk me through how they would answer the question. This allows me to understand their thought process so that I can offer as much pertinent and effective guidance as possible. I am a firm believer in learning through teaching, so sometimes I have my students pretend they are teaching me the material or helping me solve a problem. This ensures that they truly understand the material because you have to have complete knowledge of a subject in order to teach it to someone else.

I go through some general problems or practice tests in any given area in order to see where the student is struggling firsthand. I also ask the student what they have the most difficulty with, and what they think is the most effective teaching style. I like to go through schedules during the first session as well to establish a meeting time/day that is "set in stone" so that the student and I can both get used to a regular routine. More than anything though, I like to talk to the students so that they do not feel nervous or anxious about working with a new tutor. I want to make sure they know that I am here as a mentor, a tutor, and also someone they can trust and reach out to.

I think the best way to help a student become an independent learner is to boost their self-confidence in whatever area they are struggling with. Once a student feels more comfortable with a certain topic, they are more likely to approach the problems and solve them alone rather than having a tutor or friend walk them through each step.

I believe in constant encouragement. When a student feels like there is someone appreciating their hard work and progress, they are more likely to stay motivated. I have seen this technique work, and most of my students continue to stay on top of their school work and work towards the goals they have made for themselves.

I would try to explain it in another way using a new example!