My philosophy is that you have to meet a person where they are at - never assume that everyone learns the same way or understands things as you do. I always do my best to get to know a person and create a positive rapport so that I can best meet their needs through specialized instruction.

I would take some time to get to know the student, including who they are and what their hobbies are - then I would dive into academics and find out what they are studying, where they excel, where they are struggling, etc., so that I can best meet their needs in our first session.

I help students become independent learners by guiding them through the appropriate steps to discover answers on their own, rather than doing it for them. This means asking pointed questions, asking them to repeat things back to you, or asking them to show you what they know. Then always be sure to give positive feedback to boost confidence and encourage independent work/success.

I would help a student stay motivated by reminding them of their success/wins, no matter how small, so that they can see and acknowledge their progress. I would also remind them of why they are working so hard - to reach whatever goals they have for their future.

If a student has difficulty with a skill or concept, I would see what resources are available to assist them further, and I would also try different approaches (or try explaining it differently) to see if they might respond better to something I hadn't first thought of.

I would ask focused questions about the reading to guide them toward the answer. I would also go back through the reading with them, highlighting things to look for, such as key words, phrases, ideas, etc.

I would learn about their life and try to find something in their life that I could apply to the subject they are struggling in. That way, they might see something about the subject that they missed, and in doing so, find a way to connect to it and understand it better.

I would ask for the student to repeat things back to me, show me on paper or in writing what they've learned, tell me a story, or explain what they learned that they didn't understand prior to the session.

I would build confidence by asking the student to do small steps independently, to allow their confidence to grow with small successes, rather than getting frustrated with a larger concept. I would affirm and acknowledge those small steps and show how it builds toward greater understanding. Emphasizing what the student CAN do helps build confidence for those things they are still learning to do.

I would ask several specific questions about what they understand and what they do not understand. I might also ask them to do a practical exercise so that I can see first hand where they are struggling and where I can help.

I adapt to meet a student's needs by changing my approach based on how they learn best. So, I might use a more verbal explanation with one student, while another needs more hands-on direct experience. One student might need space to work something through while another may need to talk it through. I would try different approaches until I found the one that worked best for that student.

Typically, if the student needed support beyond their books and study guides, I would provide additional problems to solve or sample writing prompts. Any additional material would depend on the student and subject I'm tutoring.

I find that the strategies I use when I first work with a student are to talk to them about what they're learning and where they need help, and then ask questions and do some practice work to see (in practice) where their skills are and where they need the most help.