I would help them find one aspect of it that they can appreciate. For example, it is hard to get engaged in an essay if one does not like the subject. I would discuss the topic with the student, and we would come up with a new perspective they could write the essay from.

I always ask questions. Simply saying "You understand?" is not always enough. I ask them to demonstrate if they know how to do it, and if they are struggling, we go back through the material.

I start small. Approaching a big project as a whole can be very daunting. I try to help them break the assignment or project into smaller, more easily accessible pieces. Being able to complete a bunch of small assignments, rather than not complete a huge assignment, can make a huge difference in confidence.

I look at their materials, their past work, and see where they are falling behind or where they are not quite understanding the materials. Then I ask them where they think they are struggling. I also assess them when we first work together - just seeing how a student works shows me how they think, and how best to teach them.

I always ask. If a student says they are not grasping a piece of information, I slow down and go over it in more detail. If I can see that a student is not learning well from just talking at them, I ask them to write it down, or do the work as I am explaining it.

I usually draw on my own prepared materials, for both reading/writing and Computer Science. If a student needs very specific help, I read up and study what they are learning before we meet so I can fully help them with whatever they need. All my materials are either online or on my computer already.