I would inquire what it is about the subject that doesn't engage or excite the student--other than the fact that they are having difficulty with it. Then I would plan a lesson that approaches the subject from a different angle, frames the skill in a different manner, and hopefully in a way that demonstrates that the subject not only is important to the student--in that they want to succeed--but that it is relevant to the rest of their life.

I believe that all students can be successful, and that struggle is a sign that a student is engaged and working towards success. Every student has the potential and ability to achieve--it is a matter of working on the skills and approaches necessary to achieve at the desired level.

In a first session, I spend most of the time engaging in discussion with the student--finding out what their goals are, how they struggle, and how they define success. I explain my approach to them, and check that they are on board with my methods and willing to try them. Then we outline the steps that we would take to begin to reach the student's goal, and talk about what kind of commitment it will take from them.

I believe that the best way to coach students to become independent is to emphasize skills over content, and have frequent metacognitive conversations with the student to make those skills clear, so that students can easily make connections between skill usage, even when the content is drastically different. Developing the ability to see the skills involved in a task allows students to break down the task independently, rather than feeling intimidated by the enormity of the assignment.

Through conversations with the student, I would try to pinpoint where the difficulty occurs. Then, for the next session, I would plan an activity that focuses around that skill or concept, tackled in an entirely different way.

After covering material, I would implement an informal assessment that would use the same skills or content that the student was working on. This assessment would measure whether the student is able to take the knowledge they claim to understand and apply it in a slightly different way.

A lack of confidence in schoolwork or a certain subject is often brought on by years of struggle, perceived failure, or other negative experiences, and cannot be fixed quickly. I build a student's confidence through careful and diligent persistence and praise. Only through time and practice can I demonstrate to a student that they in fact have the abilities to be successful--they just needed some assistance with some of their skills.