I believe everyone has an innate ability to learn. However, not everyone learns the same way. My philosophy is get to know the student and establish a baseline of their ability in any given subject, both strengths and areas needing improvement. Building confidence by building on strengths can then be applied to any area. Creating an overall environment of learning, and learning and study skills that can be applied to any subject or field.

Introduce myself, tell the student a little about my own school history, successes and challenges, and then get to know them. I would hope to identify their areas of struggle, why they think they struggle in those areas (confidence, curriculum, etc.), and establish a game plan for moving forward toward success!

Using modeling behavior at first and over time, allows the student to show me how a task should be completed - only interjecting when asked for assistance or I see an area I can greatly assist. Over time, the student will utilize their own critical thinking and problem-solving skills to learn independently.

Positive reinforcement. Also, allow success to breed more success and intrinsic motivation to continue. In the times that a student does not seem interested or to be 'getting' it, I am very open to modifying my approach or utilizing a bit of experiential education to teach a concept.

Break it down into smaller, manageable parts. Identify what the student is able to do well, work on the areas needing help, and then put the concept or skill back together with the new knowledge/ability.

A conversation about what was read. I would read along with the student and then talk with them about what they thought they read. Furthermore, I would identify vocabulary or concepts that may be blocking an overall understanding of the reading material.

Establishing a rapport. Allowing the student to know I am open to discuss the coursework and any other obstacles they believe contribute to their trouble with learning.

If possible, make it an experiential opportunity. Apply the concepts/lessons to something that does excite them to keep interest. For example, working with measurements, possibly bake brownies and experience how the science works together to create a product.

I would ask them to start with how they think they should proceed. Offer techniques for improvement. Then ask for the student to model the work for me. Practice, practice, practice!

Positive reinforcement, not only when an answer is correct, but when progress is being made.

Observation, conversation/self-reporting from the student, and if possible, input from parents or instructors.

Going back to establishing a rapport. Is the student a better learner visually, through hearing the information, etc.?

Depending on the subject matter, I may bring additional resources rather than the text. For example, a thesaurus, other books on the same topic and/or items that would help facilitate the concept or point trying to be learned. Also, if I am familiar with the student and their style of learning, I may develop worksheets to use during our session.