In order to learn a subject, the student must find something interesting or relevant in it. He does not need to like the subject or enjoy it. He only needs to understand to have the subject related to something in his own life. We learn by making connections. Boring and unconnected facts are hard to learn and impossible to remember.

I would like to find out what the student enjoys and what parts of learning he finds intolerable. It is my job to find some way around, or through, the block by helping the student find a new perspective.

By showing him how enjoyable different areas of knowledge are. I once spent an entire evening listening to an Alaskan gold miner describe his life. I will never mine gold in Alaska, but it was one of the most enjoyable evenings I have ever spent.

Continuing motivation is the struggle we all face. A habit, or study, like the habit exercise, must be carefully nurtured. The student, after being shown pleasant ways to learn, will have to be encouraged to continue the practice until it becomes a habit.

There are many different ways to learn. If it is dry facts that we are memorizing (sometimes this is a necessary evil), then we can use mnemonic phrases, a song, a picture, or a muscle-memory drawing to help us through the block. If it is a conceptual difficulty, then we need to simply find new metaphors to help the concept to become clear.

Reading comes with practice. The answer is not to force the student to read the New York Times or The Atlantic Monthly, but rather to find something he is interested in or passionate about for him to read.

I would find different ways to teach that particular skill or concept. There is more than one way to get a student to learn or comprehend a skill or concept.

I hated Anatomy in medical school. I still dislike it. The subject felt infinite. Once I was able to reduce the subject to the facts that I needed to know and make a list of them, I found that the subject was more tolerable for me. Sometimes we just have to slog through something we don't like. However, that slog should have a definite end-point that the student can see and look forward to.

There are several ways that a student can have her understanding confirmed to her. She can draw a diagram of the knowledge. She can teach the subject to me. She can use flashcards with spaced repetition to confirm and reinforce the material. These are some of the ways that we can start. No student should be forced to use a certain technique because the teacher favors it.

The student needs to see proof that her knowledge is increasing and her performance is improving. Whichever kind of measurement the student finds comfortable and enjoyable should be used. But this measurable improvement must be made. The "Before and After" pictures used by people who help people diet are a good example of this sort of measurement.

The student will tell the tutor if he will take time to listen. Most of us are so ready to jump in and be a savior that we forget that the student is the center of the learning environment. Not us. As a psychiatrist, I have learned the value of careful attention and listening.

Adapting to a particular student's needs is an art, and not a science. People are not computers that we decide to use a certain programming language on. When an approach isn't working, I don't keep beating my head against a brick wall. It's time to find an alternate route. This is the art of trial and error.

I use flash cards for my personal learning. Mnemonics are some people's favorite. Washable crayon-drawing on the shower wall can be used. We can sing knowledge and we can draw knowledge.