I believe students can be taught writing. Some teachers don't believe that, but I do. There's a whole world out there to write about. With direction from a tutor, student writers can shape their experiences into words, they can learn basic skills, and they can be successful.

I think it is important to understand how the student learns, and what is the most effective way to bring about results for her or him. I also think it's important to get to know a bit about each other. I would discuss aspects of the subject they want help in and find out where they need help the most.

I think good guidance and practice help students become independent learners. I also think I need to understand what most motivates a student to learn, because that is what will help them become independent.

I would provide positive feedback and set goals. Setting and reaching goals is a structure that helps most human beings accomplish what they want to.

I would analyze the skill or concept into its smallest parts so that I cover and discuss each aspect of the skill or concept. This provides a context for learning, which helps students be successful.

Together, we work on concentration and memory devices. We would also work on developing vocabulary.

I let the student ask me questions about my background. I ask the student questions in order to find out what kind of learning needs to take place.

This is where positive feedback plays a role. If a student is struggling in a subject, in order for them to get excited about it, they need to see what they like about it-- what is fun about it. If they like their subject, it makes a world of difference. I would help a student discover what they like in the subject.

Practice is important. So is discussion and question and answer sessions. I would ask the student to write and draw about what they're learning.

Positive feedback is important in building a student's confidence in a subject. I think the student also needs to understand that I genuinely care and want them to succeed.

I ask them questions about their subject to find out what puzzles them the most or where they need the most help. I would ask them to write their answers or give me a writing sample of some of their classwork.

I try to find out the kind of learner the student is. A student could be a verbal learner, a visual learner, or a hands-on learner, to name a few ways of learning. Then, I tutor to their strength.

When I tutor in literature, it's important to have a copy of a text. This is for reading, analyzing, and taking notes. It's also important to have a list of literary terms to make the analysis more meaningful. When I tutor in writing, I give a student exposure to the different stages of the writing process, based on a writing prompt I give them. I also give lessons in grammar, sentence structure, and spelling.