My philosophy is that each of us processes information in our own unique way. As a teacher, it is my responsibility to discover and present information to students in a way that they can relate to and make connections to their prior knowledge. When this happens, learning has meaning and students can comprehend at a higher level.

I would have first found out from the parents what area of concern they had for their student. I would establish a rapport with the student (i.e., finding out what their interests are and their likes and dislikes). I would informally assess their current performance in the subject area then use that data to move forward with targeting instruction.

Becoming an independent learner has a lot to do with a student's confidence level. I would make sure that the student had an opportunity to feel successful before moving on to harder material. I would set up a learning environment where it is okay for a student to take a risk when attempting something they are unsure of.

Positive praise. Meaningful praise where they are made aware of exactly what they did well, not just a blanket "good job" type statement. I would use games and mix up strategies for problem solving.

Present it in a different style (perhaps with manipulatives) if it is a math concept or a different genre in reading.

Targeted questioning that offers a student the opportunity to infer, draw conclusions, find the main idea, or character study.

If the subject is reading

Giving the student an opportunity to feel successful is the best way for a student to feel excited about learning. Breaking down material into chunks that the student can understand before more challenging material is presented is a good way to instill confidence.

Frequent informal assessments throughout the sessions such as a math problem quick check.

Confidence is built through success, so backing up enough to make sure the student really knows what it feels like to be successful is where I would start. Then, I would scaffold the lessons so the material is attainable and the student can experience mastery.

In reading, I would do an informal reading inventory where I'd measure their accuracy, fluency, and comprehension. In math, I'd do some quick checks on a whiteboard to observe how the student solves a problem in computation or place value, for example.

Flexibility is key to working with students. If the student is not responding or seeming to understand, I would change my approach and try a different method.

For reading, I would use many leveled books of different genres. For phonics, I would use letter tiles to build words. In math, I would use base ten blocks, manipulatives to count, and whiteboards. Games are fun for learning too!