Find a way to make it fun!

We'd get to know each other by asking questions, set a reasonable goal for what we want to accomplish in that session, talk a little bit about what we might want to accomplish overall in our time together, then dig in and get to work!

Everyone has their own way of thinking and learning. I believe that identifying your way is the key to becoming an independent learner. Why should you learn like someone else--you should learn like you.

Sometimes work is hard. Sometimes it's boring. Sometimes it's frustrating. I think acknowledging that, and not trying to sugar coat it, is important. If we push through those parts, though, there's always something on the other side. Maybe it's a break (yay!), or maybe it's an insight that you never would have gotten to without putting your head down and slogging through.

We all have stuff that's hard for us. When we hit a skill or concept that doesn't seem to make sense, it can be useful to take a second and see if there's a different way to approach it. Very often (and sometimes with some outside help), we can find a way in that makes sense just by changing our approach. And, if that doesn't work, there's nothing wrong with taking a breather and coming back to it. Sometimes, having a fresh set of eyes makes all the difference.

Picking out keywords, looking at how an author structures what they say, and paraphrasing (putting into your own words) a piece of text are all great ways to work on reading comprehension.

Having students identify what they like and are good at is always my first step. That way, when we start working on things that aren't super easy, I can relate the work back to something they do know.

I believe that it's important to relate the subject matter to things that students care about or are interested in, especially if that subject matter is challenging or initially uninteresting to a student.

Asking questions along the way and having students explain concepts in their own words are two techniques that I use frequently to make sure that students understand and are confident in the material covered.

When a subject is especially difficult, one of the best ways to approach it can be to break it down into the smallest possible units (a single idea, concept, or question at a time). That way, students can deal with just one piece, gain confidence in handling that single unit, and gradually put the whole picture together in a way that they understand.

Students themselves can often identify what they have trouble with, so having a conversation with them is my first step in evaluating their needs. What do they struggle with? What subjects do they like and dislike? What do they find interesting or boring? Gathering and interpreting this information will usually give a clear picture of what we need to work on in the tutoring sessions.

As a tutor, it is my job to continually be in responsive conversation with my students so that I can tailor the tutoring approach to their needs. Do they need to have an idea of the big picture first before going into the details? Do they need to start with discrete pieces of information and build the overall picture from there? Do they need to drill and practice individual concepts? By regularly checking in with students and assessing how well they are taking in and retaining material, I can adjust my approach as needed so that the tutoring sessions best serve them.

I always have blank paper with me so that I can draw, diagram, or take down brainstorm thoughts as needed. When working with language it's often easy to get tied up in all the individual words. I find it very useful to be able to diagram ideas and concepts so that students can see how those building blocks fit together before delving into the individual words that make those ideas.