To empower students by asking them questions and helping them make connections. I prefer to have, and teach, a deeper understanding of content over-memorization.

Have them do a short assignment on the topic (e.g. a word problem for algebra, description of an artwork for art history, reading an article for history or economics, etc.). After 10 minutes, I would discuss with him/her about their thoughts and find out how they think, and then discuss what their goals are and go from there!

Giving assignments is one way, but that is not directly independent. I would discuss to find their interests and suggest ways to feed his/her intellectual curiosity: documentaries, newspapers, podcasts, etc.

To focus on the end goal. If that's finishing SAT prep, to think about the college application process; if it's a high school course, to think about summer vacation (and possibly the college application process as well).

Try to focus on the groundwork or fundamental aspects of the concept that are shaky with this student. If this student is having problems with quadratic equations, it would be to focus on algebra basics.

I would urge them to read more often, probably newspaper or magazine articles of similar lengths. Reading comprehension issues are often related to a lack of familiarity with the type of writing, or reading speed. Articles help with both.

Working through problems with guiding questions, rather than outlining each step of the problem. There are days/sessions where the steps will be outlined, but when starting, it's good to give practice problems to determine trouble spots.

Excitement is difficult when there is a lack of interest; however, a good way that I like to frame subjects like SAT reading is in relation to the other subjects, like SAT math. So, if a student is struggling in reading, I'd frame it in such a way that finishing reading will give he/she more time to focus on what they enjoy, math. When it comes to something like economics or history that somebody is struggling with, I would try to relate certain aspects of the field to what they are interested in (e.g. using sports for economics or history).

Asking deeper questions related to the materials, and asking for explanations on assignments and solutions. For math/quantitative subjects, I would use different coefficients to make sure the concepts have stuck.

To start off at an appropriate level. Giving a student the "harder" end of problems to work with is both discouraging and pointless; finding a good baseline, and incrementally increasing difficulty is a great way to learn efficiently and build confidence.

Asking questions and seeing where he/she stands in content understanding. So, to determine the student's goals, I would need to ask about his/her goals as what he/she is proficient in now.

I focus on the things that work best for the student. Some students are visual learners, while some are more auditory. Other students are both, and some don't really know what works. Trying different mediums for learning new things and going with works best is my approach.

Course material (i.e. textbooks, problem sets, etc.) and published practice problems. I also use articles, stories, and videos to make things more accessible and relatable.