I believe students learn best when you help them relate the material to their own life experiences. Whether by giving analogies to daily life, referring to material they previously learned, or linking specific material to their own academic goals, contact with the student's outside world needs to be made.

In a typical first session, I would analyze the reasons the student is struggling and has come to me for help. This first session would be my way of developing a plan of action to help this student achieve their academic goals. The first session is a great opportunity to narrow down the main areas of struggle and also figure out their strengths and how to take advantage of those in future sessions.

I would help teach a student to become independent in their learning by teaching them core skills and study techniques that would better help them to absorb information and retain it on their own. I would do this by catering to the student's individual areas of struggle and helping them to overcome those areas through better practices.

I would help students stay motivated by encouragement and praise. Even if the student is having a hard time, a little bit of encouragement can go a long way in boosting their confidence and helping them trudge on and conquer any obstacles.

If a student is struggling, I would seek out alternative methods of covering the skill or topic that is giving them problems. For instance, I might try to take said concept or skill and relate it to something they are passionate about outside of school such as a hobby. By relating a difficult concept to something they care about, it might help them to make a connection to the material that helps them better understand it.