I believe in guided methods: helping to lead the student to find the answers on their own, and teaching them methods and tricks to help them be independent. I ask a lot of questions and help the student work through their thoughts to come up with their own answers. I don't believe that the teacher should be the one doing the hard work in the learning process; it should be the student. But I also believe that learning can be FUN! Find the fun IN the work! :)

I believe that a personal connection is crucial, so I would want to get to know the student and learn about who they are as a person: what do they like? what do they dislike? what hobbies and interests do they have? what do they believe are their own strengths and weaknesses? Possibly, I'd give some typology tests and quizzes to find out how they think, which will help me know how they best learn.

I believe students can become independent learners by being taught and shown how to find answers for themselves and by giving them the confidence and empowerment to believe in themselves and their abilities.

Motivation is all about reward. Many students need extrinsic motivation (tangible rewards) to find the willingness to do well. I believe in helping a student find intrinsic motivation (emotional rewards) to succeed, which will help them want to be successful for the pure sake of success and the feelings of self-worth it brings, and not what they might "get" for doing well.

First, I need to discover where their difficulty lies: is it in comprehension or application? If the difficulty is in comprehension, then the skill or concept will need to be broken down into its most basic parts and explained one piece at a time. If the difficulty is in application, then we would begin with simple problems and move to more complex, with the goal being repetition until the skill or concept becomes familiar. Similar to a toddler learning to eat different foods, no one method is foolproof because each child is unique. It depends on their personal "palate" - their interests and experiences - what methods will be successful.

First, I need to assess if some of the difficulty is due to an issue with reading mechanics (word recognition, sound memory, vocabulary, etc.). If that is the case, then we go back to reading basics. If it is an issue with higher-level thinking and executive function skills (interpreting ideas and meaning-making) then I would teach them how to make margin notes or pictorial storyboards to train their brains to picture what they read. Usually reading comprehension is a combination of these two issues.

Each student is unique, so I don't like to assume that a "standard bag of tricks" is the way to go. However, I believe strongly in personal connection, guided instruction, and intrinsic motivation. Also, consistent and clear communication with parents is essential so that they can reinforce strategies and techniques in between sessions.

I would find a way to connect the subject to something they do find exciting. If they struggle with science but they like sports, there are many similarities and ways those overlap. The same goes for music and math, or English and theatre, or history and art.

I would want them to try to teach it to someone else. (Me, a parent, a sibling, etc.) To truly know if you understand a concept, try teaching it to someone else, and you can know whether you have mastered all the steps and concepts.

Confidence comes from the feeling that you know something well and are able to do that thing well. So, I like to construct experiences for my students where they can have a series of successes, which will build their confidence in their abilities.

Evaluating a student's needs is a many-step process: interviewing the student and parent is the place to start, followed by contacting their brick-and-mortar teachers if possible. Then there are also some paper assessments that can be given at the beginning to determine whether a student struggles with mechanics or basic skills in a particular subject.

My entire approach is about adaptation: no two students are alike, therefore no two methods are guaranteed to work. I am constantly adapting my methods based on where a student is in that moment, and where they need to be guided to reach their goal.

It depends on what goal the student and I are working toward. If a student is struggling with concepts and mechanics, then supplemental materials such as workbooks, worksheets and graphic organizers can be used. If the issue is with executive function, then a different set of organizers, as well as brain-training exercises, work well. If a student has a combination of different issues, then a combination of methods will be applied. It all depends on the individual student.